KAMPALA – Speaker Rebecca Kadaga, has ordered Parliament’s Rules, Privilege and Discipline Committee to investigate minister of Trade, Amelia Kyambadde and Kyadondo East MP, Robert Kyagulanyi for bringing Parliament into disrepute for rejecting Shs20m COVID-19 money.
In a video making rounds on social media, show minister Kyambadde while hosted at NBS television, requesting to be asked about controversial Ugx10b.
Reaching on her desk, Kadaga said “I think we need to take action. How can a Minister solicit for a question and then dramatically rejects, to embarrass the House, people will have to answer. For Kyagulanyi, after making a statement, he will go to the Rules Committee for bringing Parliament into disrepute, even the others, I will tell you what to do.”
This was during Friday’s plenary sitting after a concern raised by James Waluswaka (Bunyole East) asked Parliament to reprimand both the Minister and Kyagulanyi for bringing Parliament into disrepute.
Waluswaka accused the Minister of attempted murder, saying she flouted the presidential directives on social distancing when she touched the presenter of NBS Television and solicited a question on what she would do with the money.
“These two people should be charged with attempted murder. NBS Television as an institution should be brought to ICT Committee because we thought these journalists are professionals,” said Waluswaka.
On Kyagulanyi, he said, “Kyagulanyi returned the money as per directive of Clerk to Parliament but on the deposit slip, he said he was returning a bribe. Kyagulanyi should explain to the country who gave him the bribe and why. People now think this House can be bribed to do it’s mandated duty of Appropriation.”
Kyagulanyi defended the return of the money writing on Twitter, “While millions of Ugandans starved & countless lost jobs, the Parliament of Uganda allocated itself 10bn shs ($2.7m) & gave each Member 20m! Not even a court order or public outcry could stop them. Wrong & immoral! I’ve returned this money & will not partake in a fraud so vile.”
His decision to distance himself from the controversial funds, has angrier fellow MPs, like Markson Oboth, Chairperson Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee who castigated Kyagulanyi for exposing the nakedness of Parliament and called for Amendment of Rules of Parliament as well as the laws to deal with such errant MPs.
Oboth ranted, “You go and state that Parliament had given you a bribe. Is that just blackmail or it portrays bad intentions? The MP loses debate here and goes to court. This ping pong should stop. They expose us as if we are all the same. He (Kyagulanyi) should never take Ugandans for a ride. If he can take Ugandans for a ride, not this Parliament.”
