The National Unity Platform (NUP) leadership has faced increasing pressure to address allegations concerning its Members of Parliament (MPs) receiving large sums of taxpayer money through cash bonanzas, a trend that has become prominent in the 11th Parliament under House Speaker Anita Annet Among.
According to a statement on the NUP X Platform, initially, the issue came to light when reports emerged of a 40 million shilling bribe being offered to MPs in 2022. At the time only two NUP MPs, Kagabo and Tebandeke, admitted to receiving the money. Kagabo’s attempt to return the money was met with refusal by Parliament, leading to a disciplinary hearing. Meanwhile, Tebandeke claimed to have already utilized the funds by the time concerns were raised. Despite other MPs admitting to being called to collect the money, many NUP MPs refrained from doing so following warnings from the NUP leadership.
More recently, in March 2024, reports surfaced regarding a 100 million shilling bonanza, prompting NUP to issue public warnings against involvement in such practices. Subsequently, allegations arose suggesting that NRM MPs and some opposition members had received 50 million shillings in January, with another 50 million shillings distribution scheduled for Thursday and Friday this week. Some MPs purportedly collected the cash themselves, while others delegated assistants or relatives to do so. Distribution points were said to include the Speaker’s residence, various parliamentary offices, or the Parliament basement.
One of the major hurdles faced in addressing these allegations, according to the opposition party statement is the difficulty in obtaining concrete evidence due to the clandestine nature of the transactions. Although some individuals have been confronted with accusations, they vehemently deny involvement, complicating efforts to take action in the absence of tangible proof.
According to the press release, NUP encourages anyone with solid evidence of an MP receiving such payments to come forward confidentially to facilitate appropriate action. It’s acknowledged that not all opposition MPs partake in these practices, with many outrightly rejecting such offers despite facing persecution as a consequence. However, without concrete evidence, the party claims it’s unfair to generalize and attribute such actions to all MPs.
The statement also mentioned the case of Hon. Mpuuga, which it says stands out due to leaked minutes from the Parliamentary Commission, to which he admitted to be genuine from the outset. These minutes, coupled with admissions from the Parliament administration, provided a clear basis for subsequent action by the party against their own member.
