Uganda’s biggest opposition political party National Unity Platform (NUP) has said it is ready to discipline more of it’s MPs cited in the corruption scandals in Parliament if it gains concrete evidence against them.
In a statement issued on Saturday, NUP said it’s aware that some of its party MPs are involved in the cash bonanza at Parliament but doesn’t have enough evidence to act upon them.
This comes after the opposition party was criticized by certain sections of the public for only taking action against former Leader of the Opposition Mathias Mpuuga in relation to the Shs500m that he and other ruling party former commissioners awarded themselves as gratification for their services to the House.
BELOW IS THE PARTY STATEMENT
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ON THE 40, 50, and 100M GIVEN TO SOME MPS…..
We have taken note of several calls for the leadership of NUP to take action against its MPs who receive unjustified tax payers’ money in cash bonanzas that have come to define the 11th Parliament.
Firstly, we were the first whistle blowers about the 40M bribe given to MPs in 2022. At the time, only two NUP MPs Kagabo and Tebandeke admitted to having received this money. Kagabo was asked to take back the money and we all remember how it played out. Parliament refused to receive it, scolded him and subjected him to a disciplinary hearing. The situation was compounded by his own deficits in character, and before long he openly joined the looters. Tebandeke claimed that by the time we raised the red flag, he had already used the money. Several other MPs confessed that they had been called to pick it, but after our meeting and warning, they made a commitment not to pick it.
When we got information about another 100 million shillings bonanza recently, we publicly raised a red flag and warned our MPs against indulging in this criminality. On Thursday this week, information filtered in that the NRM MPs and some opposition MPs actually received 50M in January and were receiving the extra 50M on Thursday and Friday. Some apparently picked it themselves while others sent their assistants or relatives to pick it on their behalf. Apparently, it is usually given out in cash at the Speaker’s home or in one of those offices around Parliament or in Parliament’s basement.
The challenge we have been grappling with is getting concrete evidence of anyone picking this money, because it is done in a shadowy manner. There are a few people who have been confronted after allegations that they partook in this, and they made outright denials. In the absence of evidence pinning them, it becomes difficult to act.
We encourage anyone who has concrete evidence of any NUP MP picking this money to forward it to us in confidence so that we take action.
We know that not all opposition MPs pick this money. There are many who reject it outrightly. Because of their stance, many have been persecuted in many ways and have stood their ground. Therefore it is not fair to lump all of them together. The missing link is evidence.
The reason why Hon. Mpuuga’s case has been easy to deal with is because of those leaked minutes of the Parliamentary Commission, which he personally admitted were genuine from the very start. These minutes and admissions by the administration of Parliament became the basis for action.
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