KAMPALA– Uganda’s Deputy Attorney Jackson Kafuuzi says he was surprised to see a section of Members of Parliament soliciting signatures to censure the four commissioners of Parliament regarding the service award when they cleared the Ugx 1.7 bn that was paid to them.
Kafuzi’s reaction followed the high court ruling which Okayed the service award stressing that it was given to the former leader of the opposition Mathias Mpuuga and the three Commissioners lawfully.
Mpuuga got Ugx 500 Million of the said Ugx 1.7Bn whereas other back bench commissioners were each awarded Ugx 400 million. These include Rubanda district Woman MP Akampurira Prosy Mbabazi Begumisa, Bukooli Central MP Solomon Silwany and Zombo District Woman MP Ester Afoyochan.
Deputy Attorney Kafuuzi told the media at parliament that the Parliamentary Commission budget where the service award funds were contained followed all the procedures and even the MPs who wanted to remove the commissioners approved it in the committee before it was passed by Parliament.
Cue in………….Kafuzi on award
Despite being legally paid to the commissioners, the Civil Division Judge, Dr. Douglas Singiza ruled that the Clerk to Parliament Adolf Mwesige as the accounting officer has a special role in the budgeting process and should have detected mistakes in the budget since the service award is unknown in the payment system of Parliament.
Justice Singiza ruled that the Clerk to Parliament was negligent.
