MP Nandala Mafabi Wants Legal Committee Members Investigated Over Shs1.7Bn Service Award

Budadiri West MP, Nandala Mafabi, has called for the arrest of all MPs on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee for approving the Shs1.7Bn Service Award given to the four Parliamentary Commissioners. Mafabi argued that the Commissioners did nothing to warrant such a reward.

Addressing journalists after signing the censure motion, Mafabi, who has been in Parliament for 23 years, stated that no Commissioner has ever been paid a service award before. He likened the MPs on the Legal Committee to those on the Budget Committee, who are currently under police custody for corruption.

“I am among the longest-serving MPs here. In the last 23 years, we have never paid a Commissioner anything. What did these people do that was so special that we gave them a handshake? What have these women and men Commissioners done? If you look at them, what capacity do they have more than Nandala? So how can you pay somebody for nothing?” Mafabi remarked.

He emphasized that during debates on ministerial policy statements, Committees are required to highlight vital issues, but the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee did not mention the service award. Mafabi suggested that the Committee members must have been compensated to stay quiet.

“If the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee had an exceptional issue, it should have highlighted it to us as MPs that there is an exception because these Commissioners have done so wonderful that we need to reward them. Since they never did it and we never saw it, even the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee should be held liable as they are holding the MPs of the Budget Committee. They must have been given something to keep quiet, and this one, the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee must answer,” he added.

Mafabi also called for the Commissioners to refund the Shs1.7Bn service award. “We must deal with this vice. In fact, the earlier these MPs refunded our money, the better. If they don’t, we want them to come and defend themselves here. And we are here waiting for them to come. In fact, I am looking forward to that debate, and they will show us what they did which is exceptional,” he said.

Nakaseke South MP Lutamaguzi Ssemakula praised Mafabi’s stance, saying, “You have been absolved, and history has exonerated you. I initially thought you also supported these people to take our country’s money.”