High Court rules Mpuuga’s 500M Service Award ‘legal’

By Our Reporter

High Court in Kampala has made a landmark ruling in a case against former leader of opposition Mathias Mpuuga and backbench commissioners that were awarded Shs 1.7 billion as a service award.

Justice Douglas Karekona Singiza ruled that, “the decision, dated 6 May 2022, to award the Leader of Opposition in Parliament (Hon. Matthias Mpuuga) Shs 500,000,000, and three other Commissioners UGX 400,000,000 each, as a service award was approved by Parliament and formed part of the budget presented by the executive as required by the Public Finance Management Act”.

According to Justice Karekona, the allowances of members of the parliamentary commission are determined by the commission with the approval of Parliament as prescribed by Section 42 of the Administration of the Parliament Act (AOPA).

Court further ruled that the service award was approved by Parliament in the Appropriation Bill under the title ‘Ex-gratia for political leaders.’

The judge emphasised: “The impugned [questioned] payment was approved by parliament in the Appropriation Bill under the title ‘Ex-gratia for Political Leaders… the fact that this vote formed part of the Appropriations Act is proof that the Minister of Finance had the opportunity to scrutinize the payment and that Parliament approved the ex-gratia vote.”

However, court has directed the secretary to treasurer to probe and discipline the clerk to parliament Adolf Mwesigwa for his involvement in the contested service award.

Parliament awarded Shs 500 million to former LOP Mathias Mpuuga and Shs 400 million each to commissioners Solomon Silwany (MP Bukooli county central), Prossy Mbabazi (DW MP Rubanda) and Esther Afoyochan (Zombo DW MP).

The service award raised controversy at parliament and in the public prompting some legislators to call for the censure of all beneficiaries of the service award.

MP Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga county), the leader of the censure motion handed over the motion to censure Mpuuga and the three backbench commissioners to the clerk to parliament Adolf Mwesigwa. The motion was signed by 189 members of parliament.

This now leaves Theodore Ssekikubo censure motion in a quagmire state after this high court ruling. Legal experts reason that his censure motion has now been taken over by events and it can’t stand the light of day.