Theodore Ssekikubo, the Member of Parliament for Lwemiyaga County, has disclosed that Speaker Anita Among has pledged not to interfere with the collection of signatures aimed at censuring four parliamentary commissioners over the Shs1.7 billion Service Award controversy.
Ssekikubo made this announcement during a press briefing following a closed-door meeting with Speaker Among at Parliament.
Ssekikubo stated that the motion is not targeting the Speaker personally, which was a concern addressed during their discussion. He also noted that Speaker Among has committed to allowing the parliamentary debate on this issue if the MPs wish to proceed.
“We are staying put, we have had a good interaction with Speaker Among, because from day one, we have insisted that this motion isn’t in any way intended to attack the Speaker. She is equally concerned about Parliament. She is noting all the developments about Parliament. We have had the opportunity to talk about the summons to MPs and indeed, she expressed concern about the way MPs are behaving,” said Ssekikubo.
He further explained that Speaker Among has assured him of her impartiality in handling the matter.
“In reference to her motion, we have agreed that she is there to discharge her duty as Speaker and once these matters are brought to her attention, she has no intention of interfering with the process and she indeed said that as far as she is concerned, once MPs feel that they need to discuss this matter, so be it,” he added.
Ssekikubo also highlighted the significant support received from the FDC Secretary General, describing it as a major boost for the censure exercise. He announced that the signature collection process will continue until June 14, 2024, to accommodate MPs who are currently upcountry.
“We are coming to the end of our signature collection. We are continuing with this exercise but we shall stay put up to Friday, June 14, 2024. We hope that by Friday, the members who are upcountry would have found time to come around. We are happy with the Secretary General of FDC, he has been a big boost to this exercise and he is a former Leader of Opposition and therefore, for these matters that we are talking about, he has been part of it, he has lived it and for all the time he has been here since the 7th Parliament, so we are grateful for his guidance,” remarked Ssekikubo.
142 Members of Parliament (MPs) have so far signed a motion to censure four parliamentary Commissioners over corruption allegations.
The motion, spearheaded by Ssekikubo, has garnered substantial support from across the political spectrum. However, some MPs have conspicuously declined signing the petition with various explanations.
The commissioners are accused of distributing a service award worth Shs1.7 billion and drawing a monthly salary of Shs23 million in addition to their regular parliamentary earnings. This move has sparked a contentious debate, with several MPs denying accusations that they have been bribed to abstain from signing the censure motion.
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