There is only one day left, on Thursday, for the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gen. Jeje Odongo, to submit a report to Parliament defending the accreditation of 71 government representatives to the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa delivered the ultimatum on Tuesday during a plenary session.
Muwada Nkunyingi, the Kyandondo East Constituency Representative and Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs, voiced concerns about the wasteful use of public monies, which led to the action.
Muwada told the House of stories that have surfaced mentioning Henry Okello Oryem, the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, whose wife is purportedly one of the 71 members of Uganda’s delegation to the UN General Assembly.
According to Muwaga, Uganda has a mission in New York that, as of the Financial Year 2021/2022, has received funding of 16 billion Shillings to support interactions with the UN; as a result, Muwaga claims that it is unjustified for the nation to send such a large group to such a prominent summit.
After mocking her subordinates in an audio that went viral on social media, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja was invited by Mathias Mpuuga, the Leader of the Opposition, to come before the House and explain her part in the disastrous trip.
Tayebwa ordered that Gen. Jeje Odongo, the minister of foreign affairs, who headed the delegation, appear in the House on Thursday to give an explanation of his ministry’s decision to accredit all 71 delegates and outline their individual positions at the UN Assembly in September in New York.
The members of parliament are not happy that the delegates, who were divided into two groups under the leadership of the prime minister and vice president Maj. (Rtd) Jesca Alupo, did not have a designated role at the Assembly and were then refused entry to the venue, resulting in them having to stay in hotels.
The United Nations General Assembly convened for its 78th session on September 5, 2023, and the High-Level Week in New York, which took place from September 18 to 22, signified a significant turning point in the 2030 Agenda’s realization and the pressing need to realign the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
