Abdu Katuntu, the chairperson of the parliamentary committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises has said that there is no committee member who went to the speaker of Parliament to request for the extension of their term.
“It is not true that we went to the speaker to seek for an extension. I want to put this on record. What happened is like indeed all serious chairpersons of committees and I want to emphasize the word serious. We always brief the speaker on progress of the work we are doing as committees,” said Katuntu as they resumed the BoU probe.
“In that I went to the speaker and briefed her as a head of this institution how far we have gone.
“She did ask whether it will be possible to complete this work before the term expires.
“I did explain to the speaker that it is not possible. The speaker suggested that she will Engauge the leader of opposition and see a way forward.
“That process of engagement I am not party to it but the speaker will communicate whatever engagement that was there to the house.
“It is also not true and let the record capture this that any member went to the speaker to seek an extension”
Last week, Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga said that the current Parliamentary Committee on Commissions, State Authorities & State Enterprises should be given time to complete their probe into Bank of Uganda.
“Let them finish and hand their report to the House, then changes will take place,” Kadaga said.
“COSASE is winding up on the Bank of Uganda investigation. We expect them to write a report and hand it over to the house before they move.
“My request is, we shall have the changes but after they have reported. The other committees will expire on 13th January but I asked them to complete that report and if they don’t finish by end of January, the changes will come.”
Previously, Opposition Chief Whip, Hon Ibrahim Ssemuju Nganda said that COSASE boss, Hon Abdu Katuntu should handover to the new chairman, Hon Mubarak Munyagwa.
“As a chief whip I am waiting for parliament to start next week and I organize for Katuntu to handover to Munyagwa,” said Ssemuju.
“Hon Abdu Katuntu is a fantastic lawyer but you can’t say because he is such a fantastic lawyer, his term should not come to an end.”
In a twist of events, Ssemuju wrote to Kadaga requesting her to let Katuntu handover to Munyagwa and then the later can assign the former to finish the BoU investigations.