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Nyendo-Mukungwe MP Mathias Mpuuga has responded to reports suggesting that his affiliation, the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, has urged him to step down from his position within the parliamentary commission. Allegations of corruption and abuse of office hover over the purported request.
Upon being informed of the alleged NUP statement during a phone interview with the press on Friday, March 1, 2024, Mpuuga maintained his composure. He indicated that he would provide a response at an opportune moment, urging calmness and patience amidst the unfolding situation.
The purported NUP statement, disseminated on February 28, 2024, via its social media channels, implicates Mpuuga in irregularities related to the parliamentary commissioners’ allocation of substantial sums from taxpayers’ funds under the guise of “service awards.” Specifically, Mpuuga was purportedly allocated 500 million Ugandan shillings, a claim he neither confirmed nor denied during the interview.
Pressed for further comments on the matter, Mpuuga, who also serves as NUP’s deputy president for the Buganda region and formerly held the position of Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, redirected inquiries to the issuing party. He distanced himself from the statement, indicating that inquiries should be directed to those responsible for its release.
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The parliamentary commission stands as a pivotal decision-making body within the Ugandan Parliament, comprising prominent figures such as the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Prime Minister, Finance Minister, Leader of the Opposition, and four backbench commissioners. These backbench commissioners serve a two-and-a-half-year term, entitling them to various privileges, including security details, substantial allowances, and official vehicles.
The NUP statement purportedly indicates that Mpuuga acknowledged his involvement in the aforementioned irregularities during an urgent meeting convened by the party’s president, Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine. The meeting, attended by senior party leaders, including deputy presidents and select legislators, witnessed Mpuuga’s admission of wrongdoing and subsequent apology.
According to the statement, Mpuuga was strongly advised to resign from his role as parliamentary commissioner promptly. The party underscored its core values of discipline, reliability, inclusiveness, integrity, patriotism, and service, denouncing all forms of corruption and abuse of office as antithetical to these values.
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