The speaker of parliament, Annet Anita Among, has blocked the censure motion against four backbench commissioners of parliament in the controversial Shs 1.7 billion “service award” saga.
Lwemiyaga MP, Theodore Ssekikubo and others successfully collected signatures to support a motion to censure the commissioners; Mathias Mpuuga, Prossy Akampurira, Esther Afoyochan, and Solomon Silwany whom they accuse of awarding themselves Shs 1.7 billion as a service award without the MPs’ approval.
They went ahead to submit the motion to the speaker’s office hoping that Among would allow the motion to be moved within 14 days after it was sent to her. However, Among on Friday, August 16 wrote to Ssekikubo saying that she was constrained to take further action on the motion.
She explained that she based her decision on several previous court decisions where parliament doesn’t debate and resolve matters that courts decided on. Among cited that ruling on the petition filed by Daniel Bwette against the parliamentary commission as one of the reasons why she was declining to process the motion.
Earlier, on August 12, the civil division of the High court ruled that the decision dated May 6, 2022, authorizing the Shs 1.7 billion service award was lawful because it was approved by parliament and that it was part of the budget.
“Indeed article 128(3) of the constitution of the Republic of Uganda is clear on the fact that all organs and agencies of the state shall accord courts such assistance as may be required to ensure effectiveness of court,” reads part of the letter.
Ssekikubo last week insisted that his motion had to go on. He said the issues in their motion were different from what the High court considered in the Daniel Bwette petition. However, Among said all the aspects of the Sekikuubo petition (motion) had been canvassed by the ruling of the High court.
Journalist turned lawyer, Agather Atuhaire of the Agora Discourse wrote on her X formerly Twitter space that “The Ssekikubo motion won’t see the light of day. “The decision in Bwete Daniel provides a very convenient excuse”.
Leader of the opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi also using his X space said a small clique of the parliamentary commission quietly sat in a meeting where they deliberately didn’t invite all the members of the commission, and then distributed money among themselves.
“The public was livid about this, a censure motion ensued, and the small clique found someone through whom they took the matter to court for “cleansing”. Unfortunately for them, while the court tried to cleanse the small clique, the same court said the clerk to parliament must be punished for the money shared by this clique. The clerk did not propose the award or even partake of it, he simply received orders from the commission and his job was to implement,” said Ssenyonyi.
Adding that this should be a lesson to civil servants, ”That you can be used and then thrown under the bus! As far as we are concerned, this small clique occasioned the culpability of the clerk, and this clique ought to be brought to book. It is no wonder that the person who chaired the meeting of the small clique is the one trying to save them. However, we shall not tire until the thuggery at Parliament is dealt with,”
