Vice President Gilbert Bukenya and three other ministers were yesterday cleared after a one-sided House voted in favour of a motion to forgive them on charges of abuse of office and causing financial loss during Chogm.
As the opposition walked out, accusing Speaker Edward Ssekandi of bias and protesting collective pardon of the culprits, the NRM MPs cleared senior Ministers Sam Kutesa (Foreign Affairs), John Nasasira (Works) and Attorney General Khiddu Makubuya of any wrongdoing.
The move, however, did not go down well with some NRM party members who castigated the Speaker and colleagues for helping suspects escape justice.
Apologetic Ssekikubo
“We apologise to the chairman of the party and the President who stood out unequivocally on matter of accountability...and fellow countrymen particularly for this dark evening where Parliament has been mobbed and conducted an omnibus exoneration of culprits,” said Lwemiyaga MP Theodore Ssekikubo.
The four ministers join their colleagues Amama Mbabazi (Security) and Fred Omach (State Finance) who were pardoned last year. The motion to exonerate Kutesa, Nasasira and Makubuya was moved by the Government Chief Whip, Mr Daudi Migereko.
Mr Ssekikubo attempted to block it but Speaker Ssekandi put the matter to vote as other NRM MPs shouted him down.
The drama began earlier when the acting Leader of Opposition, Mr Kassiano Wadri, stopped Mr Ssekandi from placing the question to the House to clear Prof. Bukenya.
The proposal to clear Prof. Bukenya even before the report was debated was mooted by MPs Chris Baryomunsi (Kanungu East) and Sanjay Tana (Tororo Municipality).
But Aruu County MP Odonga Otto made a case for incriminating Prof. Bukenya, saying he had conspired to misuse public funds in the Chogm car deal.
“The Chogm cars were washed for 15 days at Shs150,000 per day as if they were using champagne or mineral water. However, big-bellied you’re, you cannot eat a lorry of matooke,” said Mr Otto, who also asked President Museveni to drop corruption suspects in his new Cabinet.
The Chogm report found Prof. Bukenya guilty of influencing the award of a controversial Shs9.4b deal to provide cars for Chogm. But as the opposition MPs led by PAC Chairman Nandala Mafabi put up a spirited fight to nail the ministers, Mr Ssekandi said:
“We cannot take wrong decisions because the country will be unhappy. People won’t judge us because we didn’t satisfy their emotions. The other day you failed to bring evidence against ministers. We are not a court, what you need to discuss is whether it was a personal decision or a decision of the committee.”
Before the Speaker, whom the opposition said was steering the House like a “mercenary” could ask whether Prof. Bukenya should be exonerated, Mr Wadri informed him that they were walking out.
Mr Wadri said the opposition walk-out was in protest of NRM’s use of numbers to let suspects off the hook. “As long as the Chogm report appears on the Order Paper, we shall not return to Parliament,” Mr Wadri said. “We have taken the matter to the public court. The trend at which the NRM was debating the report was winner-takes-it all. They were relying on their numbers and not evidence.”
The NRM MPs, who accused their opposition colleagues of trying to score political marks, went on to pardon all the ministers. Only Kampala Woman MP nabilah Ssempala (FDC) stayed in the House, saying constituents had interest in the matter.
Debate continues on Tuesday next week.
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