Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP) Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba was today August 03 left in shock after Speaker Anita Annet Among blocked his decision to sack Martin Mapenduzi Ojara as the Chairperson of the Local Government Public Accounts Committee (LG-PAC).
On August 02, LoP Mpuuga, who is also the Nyendo-Mukungwe MP, announced the appointment of Kilak South MP Gilbert Olanya as the new LG-PAC chairperson, replacing Bardege-Layibi Division MP Mapenduzi.
LoP Mpuuga also appointed Kalangala District Woman MP Hellen Nakimuli as the new Shadow minister for Fisheries while Kalungu East legislator Francis Katongole Katabaazi was named the shadow minister in charge of East African Community (EAC) affairs.
Opposition whip John Baptist John Baptist Nambeshe (Manjiya County – NUP) then wrote to Speaker Among informing her of the new changes.
But Among, who is also the Bukedea District Woman MP, has blocked the sacking of Mapenduzi, the politician who fell out with the main opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) after he move a motion for the censure of Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake Butebi (NUP) as Commissioner of Parliament for disrespecting the speaker via social media.
During today’s plenary, Among told members that she had indeed received a letter from the Chief Opposition whip re-designating the chairperson of PAC-Local Government and replacing him with Olanya in accordance with Rule 196 of the Rules of Procedure.
But Among insisted that the PAC-Local Government Committee was currently undertaking serious work, particularly working on a report regarding findings in the 2020-2021 Financial Year report by the Office of the Auditor General. In her view, shaking up the committee would affect this ongoing work.
She further argued that the pending work must be done without interruptions, adding that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has set stringent deadlines for the drafting of treasury memoranda for the committees.
Among also reminded Mpuuga and the NUP gang keen on hounding out Mapenduzi of a precedent in the 10th Parliament where the administration of the House blocked a move to fire the then Chairperson of the PAC Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (Cosase) until its unfinished business was completed.
So, when will Among allow Mpuuga to fire Mapenduzi. The speaker made it clear that she was “not accepting the re-designation” at the moment and that committee must first finish the work it is currently working on.
But even then, Among further insisted, the re-designation will have to be approved by the House through a motion. But Mpuuga urged the speaker to handle the matter “administratively.”
As we reported yesterday, Mpuuga fired Mapenduzi, reportedly because the MP moved a motion to fire Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine’s blue-eyed boy Francis Zaake. (Read Story Here).
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