The secretary general of the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party, Richard Todwong, has indicated that the party will deliberate on the proposal to censure four parliamentary commissioners following allegations of corruption.
Speaking to the Press on Wednesday, Todwong stated that the party’s decision would be contingent upon receiving an official briefing from the Government Chief Whip, Hamson Obua, regarding the censure motion, which has garnered significant attention and public discourse.
Todwong, a former Member of Parliament and minister, emphasized the importance of being informed before making any conclusive decisions regarding the matter at hand.
Earlier this week, Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua criticized the NRM MPs leading the campaign to impeach the commissioners, asserting that they had bypassed the party’s internal procedures.
Obua highlighted the significance of internal party structures, urging MPs to address concerns within the NRM before resorting to parliamentary procedures.
At the forefront of the push for censure is MP Theodore Ssekikubo of Lwemiyaga County, who is leading efforts to censure MPs Mathias Mpuuga, Prossy Mbabazi Akampurira, Esther Afoyochan, and Solomon Silwanyi.
These four MPs are implicated in allegations of sharing a one-off service award totaling sh1.7 billion from the parliamentary commission in May 2022.
The situation is further complicated by Mpuuga’s suspension from his position as deputy president of the National Unity Platform party in the central region. He allegedly received a share of sh500 million for his tenure as Leader of the Opposition, even before his term officially ended in December of the previous year.
Ssekikubo, advocating for support from Obua, disclosed plans to publish the list of MPs who have signed the censure motion. However, he emphasized the primary objective of garnering the requisite number of signatures to move forward with the motion.
Parliamentary regulations stipulate that once a signature is affixed to the censure motion, it cannot be withdrawn. Upon obtaining support from at least one-third of MPs, the list is forwarded to the Clerk by the sergeant-at-arms.
With a total of 529 MPs in the 11th Parliament, excluding ex-officio members, the mover of the censure motion would need to secure a minimum of 176 signatures for it to be included in the Order Paper, the official schedule of Parliamentary business.
