Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has dismissed a request made by the National Unity Platform (NUP) to recall Nyendo Mukungwe legislator, Mathias Mpuuga, from the Commission of Parliament.
This decision comes after NUP’s National Executive Committee meeting on March 15, 2024, where they resolved to recall Mpuuga due to allegations of corruption, dishonesty, and abuse of office.
The accusations against Mpuuga stem from his involvement, along with other NRM Parliamentary Commissioners, in irregularly allocating themselves 1.7 billion shillings as “Service Awards” during his tenure as the Leader of the Opposition in the House.
Notably, Mpuuga is alleged to have received 500 million shillings from this allocation.
NUP demanded that Mpuuga return the money, apologize to Ugandans, and step down as Commissioner of Parliament. However, Mpuuga has not complied with these demands, prompting NUP to seek his removal from the Parliamentary Commission.
In a letter dated March 18, 2024, the NUP Secretary General, David Lewis Rubongoya, informed Speaker Among of the party’s decision to withdraw Mpuuga’s nomination and recall him from the position of Commissioner of Parliament.
This move was followed by the nomination of Francis Zaake, the Mityana Municipality lawmaker, as Mpuuga’s replacement.
In response to NUP’s request, Speaker Among clarified that the party lacks the authority to recall Mpuuga from the Parliamentary Commission.
She highlighted the legal framework governing the appointment and removal of commissioners, emphasizing that once elected by Parliament, commissioners serve Parliament as a whole and can only be removed in accordance with the law.
Speaker Among referred NUP to relevant sections of the Administration of Parliament Act and the Rules of Procedure of Parliament, which outline the grounds and procedures for removing a commissioner.
She emphasized that NUP’s letter failed to meet the procedural requirements for initiating the removal of a commissioner and therefore had no legal basis.
Furthermore, Speaker Among stated that Mpuuga had not vacated his seat as a member of Parliament nor had he been found guilty of misconduct or incompetence by Parliament.
As such, NUP’s request to recall Mpuuga lacked legal foundation and could not be implemented.
