Mpuuga nolonger represent our interests as a political party – NUP fires back to Speaker Among

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March 27, 2024
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All is not going as planned in the red camp of National Unity Platform (NUP) party as their game plan of fronting and pushing Zake to replace former leader of opposition Mathias Mpunga as a parliamentray commisoner hits a dead end as the Speaker of Parliament, Rt Hon Anita Among, informed the National Unity Platform (NUP) party that it has no right to recall Mr Mathias Mpuuga as the Commissioner of Parliament.

In a letter dated March 25, 2024, directed to the NUP Secretary General Mr David Lewis Rubongoya, Ms Among states that under the law, political parties are limited to nominating candidates for the election to the office of Commissioner of Parliament.

She was referring to Rubongoya’s letter dated March 18, 2024, addressing her of the NUP’s decision to recall Mr Mpuuga as the Commissioner of Parliament and replace him with Mityana Municipality MP, Hon Francis Zaake.

“Parliamentary Commissioners are elected by Parliament by virtue of section 2 of the Administration of Parliament, Cap 257 and rule 11 (4) of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of the Republic of Uganda. The role of the parties under the law is limited to nominating candidates for election to the office of the commissioner of parliament as stipulated in sub-section 2(2b),” Ms Among’s letter reads in part.

According to Among, NUP’s letter has no basis or foundation in law.

“To do so as you (NUP) request would amount to fettering the authority vested in the House by the clear and unambiguous section 5 of the Administration of Parliament Act resulting in undesirable legal consequences in line with the decision of the Constitutional Court of Uganda in Fox Odoi-Oywelowo and James Akampumuza Versus Attorney General, Constitutional petition number 8 of 2003,” Mr Among responded, adding: “I can, therefore, not implement it.”

This did not go well with National Unity Platform (NUP) party, and they have fired back at the speakers utteraces claiming that they already knew that the speaker was going to protect Mpunga by all means neccesary.

“……..For clarity, when we communicated to Parliament our decision to withdraw the mandate we had given Hon. Mathias Mpuuga to represent us as a Commissioner, we were aware that Ms. Anita Among would seek to protect him like she has previously done. Just this past weekend, Dictator Museveni praised her for having brought (read bought) many opposition leaders to him. Her ways are therefore well known. In any case, Ms. Among chaired the Parliamentary Commission meeting that illegally and immorally allocated the 500 million shillings to Hon. Mpuuga. Our communication, therefore, intended to achieve three objectives:

1. To be on record and officially communicate to Parliament our disapproval of corruption and abuse of office;

2. To reaffirm that given the facts available now, Hon. @ZaakeFrancis remains our legitimate representative on the Parliamentary Commission as he was unconstitutionally removed from that role; and

3. To ensure that when the Parliamentary Commission engages in more forms of corruption as it surely will, no wrongdoing shall be imputed on the National Unity Platform.

At least for now, the nation knows that Hon. Mpuuga no longer represents us on the Parliamentary Commission…”

later on today, Mpuga informed journalists that he would not quit a party he helped found like many wanted him to. Instead, he would stay and help streamline its operation and ensure discipline among members.

“I am a founder of NUP, I did not just join from nowhere but I was part of the founding blocks – where I serve as the deputy president in charge of Buganda. I am also here to reaffirm that I am not leaving NUP, I am not here to do anything to destroy or kill it. So, whoever thought they were hounding me out… I am here for keeps,” Mr Mpuuga vowed.