The house must make a decision today, according to Thomas Tayebwa, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, who is leading a Monday morning parliamentary session on the motion of censure against Persis Princess Namuganza, the State Minister for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development.
The censure resolution must be terminated today in order for the legislature to focus on other crucial problems, the presiding officer said MPs in his statement from the chair on Monday morning.
“The House must express itself, regardless of the Committee’s recommendation. Declaratory actions must follow Rule 99, the Deputy Speaker ruled.
According to Rule 109 of our Rules of Procedure and Article 118 of the Ugandan Constitution, Tayebwa explained, “We have been going through the process to censure Hon. Persis Namuganza.” He continued, “Due to constraints with our rules regarding some of the processes, we had to meet on Monday, the same day Cabinet meets.”
Members are hearing a report from Mwine Mpaka, the Mbarara City South Division MP, who served as the chair of the seven-person Select Committee of Parliament that looked into Namuganza’s alleged transgressions against the law.
Newspaper articles, videos pulled from YouTube, and excerpts from NTV and NBS newscasts accusing Namuganza of assaulting Parliament were presented before the Committee by lawmakers led by John Amos Okot, the member of parliament for Agago North.
One of the 200 MPs who signed the petition and who also provided evidence in support of the resolution to censure the Minister, Dan Kimosho, of Kazo County, stressed that the only action that should be done against Namuganzais censure.
After 200 lawmakers signed a petition in favor of the action, Okot presented a motion in December asking Parliament to punish Namuganza, who also serves as the Bukono County MP in the Namutumba area, for contempt of Parliament.
Namuganza’s problems began in May when an ad hoc Committee accused him of participating illegally in the 142-acre land transfer to certain investors for a satellite city at the Nakawa-Nagura Housing estate.
When the Minister was seconded to the Ministry by the President, she left the meeting called by the ad hoc Committee and later stated publicly that Parliament did not have the authority to look into her appointment.
