Bobi Wine, the President of the National Unity Platform (NUP), recently issued a statement regarding the allocation of 500 million shillings to Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, a member of the party and the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament. The allocation, made during a meeting of the Parliamentary Commission, raised concerns about corruption and abuse of office. Here’s a breakdown of the situation.
The meeting, held on May 6th, 2022, included members of the Parliamentary Commission such as Ms. Anitah Among, Hon. Mpuuga, and three NRM Commissioners. During the meeting, they awarded themselves a collective sum of 1.7 billion shillings. Notably, Hon. Mpuuga received 500 million shillings, while the other Commissioners each received 400 million shillings. The details of this allocation were only revealed to the public nearly two years later when the minutes of the meeting were leaked.
Upon learning of the allocation, Bobi Wine convened a meeting with senior leaders of the NUP, including Deputy Presidents, the Secretary General, the Leader of the Opposition, the National Treasurer, and other key figures. In this meeting, Hon. Mpuuga admitted to the authenticity of the leaked minutes and expressed regret for his involvement in the allocation. He apologized for his actions and acknowledged the wrongdoing.
Following the meeting, Hon. Mpuuga was advised to step down from the Commission in the interest of public trust. Despite initially agreeing to this course of action and requesting time for consultation, Hon. Mpuuga later released a statement that appeared to retract his apology and justification for the allocation.
In response, Bobi Wine outlined ten reasons why the allocation of 500 million shillings to Hon. Mpuuga was illegal, immoral, and a betrayal of public trust. First, he questioned the basis for the “Service Award” given to Hon. Mpuuga, noting that previous Leaders of the Opposition had never received such awards. He also criticized the self-allocation of funds by the Commissioners, highlighting the conflict of interest involved.
Moreover, Bobi Wine raised concerns about the legality of the allocation, noting that there was no law supporting the “Service Award” and that it was an act of excessive expenditure. He pointed out the lack of consultation with the NUP leadership and questioned the absence of Hon. Zaake, who had been removed from the Commission under questionable circumstances.
Furthermore, Bobi Wine compared the situation to previous instances of government corruption, emphasizing the NUP’s commitment to fighting wasteful expenditure. He called for accountability and transparency regarding the source of the allocated funds and urged Hon. Mpuuga to apologize and step down from his position on the Commission.
Bobi Wine condemned the allocation of 500 million shillings to Hon. Mpuuga as an act of corruption and abuse of office. He reiterated the NUP’s commitment to upholding integrity and accountability in government and called for swift action to rectify the situation.
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