The State Minister for Housing, Persis Namuganza, has voiced her worry about the reputation of Uganda’s 11th Parliament. She is troubled by widespread accusations of corruption that have marred its image. Namuganza, who also serves as a legislator representing Bukono County in Namutumba District, Eastern Uganda, believes corruption has devalued Parliament, affecting its integrity.
“Corruption is the issue at hand. It’s like a disease in our country, and some of us are strongly against it. Our party, the NRM, is losing support because of corruption. Parliament’s standing has been diminished because of corruption. Everywhere we go, people are pointing fingers at Parliament,” she stated, following her endorsement of a proposal to censure four Parliamentary commissioners who allegedly shared Shs1.7 billion among themselves as a service award.
Namuganza is the first minister to support this motion.
The implicated commissioners include Mathias Mpuuga, Esther Afoyochan, Solomon Silwany, and Prossy Mbabazi Akampurira. Mpuuga received Shs500 million, while the others were each allocated Shs400 million.
In 2023, Parliament voted on censuring Namuganza, with 348 MPs in favor, five against, and three abstentions. She was found guilty of violating her oath and her conduct was deemed grounds for censure under Article 118 of the Constitution. Namuganza refutes the allegations against her, asserting that she was censured unfairly.
“They accused me of land theft, then of indiscipline. Indiscipline over what? Because they fear those of us who speak out against these negative vices in society,” she added.
Namuganza expressed a bleak view of Parliament’s public perception, suggesting that if a referendum were held, Ugandans might vote to abolish the legislative body. She believes Parliament has become “a shame and an embarrassment” to citizens.
She urged Ugandans to vote out MPs who refuse to support the censure motion, arguing that their reluctance indicates they benefit from corruption within Parliament.
“Some MPs claim that the parliamentary leadership has advised against signing the motion on behalf of President Museveni. They should not drag the president into this. His channels of communication are clear. If the president opposed this motion, he would have addressed us directly. MPs who still wish to be relevant should support this motion,” Namuganza emphasized.
Earlier, Opposition MPs had been hesitant to sign the censure motion. However, the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Mr. Joel Ssenyonyi, led some of his colleagues to endorse it, describing the act as a vindication for the National Unity Platform (NUP).
