Following numerous extensions, solicitations, blackmail and drama that characterized the signing of the censure motion intended to relieve 4 Commissioners of their duties over the Shs1.7Bn Service Award, Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga County) has admitted that his team has failed to raise the 176 signatures, three weeks after the exercise started.
While addressing journalists at Parliament, Ssekikubo struck an optimistic tone, assuring the media, that although he had hoped to file his notice with the Clerk to Parliament on 17th June 2024, the plans have to be halted until 12 more MPs sign the motion.
“The signature gathering has gained momentum as we ended the day, today, we have 164 signatures. We hope to resume this on Monday when we shall be having the full details and by 164, we are falling short of 12 signatures,” he said.
“We do hope that by Monday, we should have finalized on this question, you can be sure. We had wanted that by Monday we should have issued a notice to the Speaker, but for now, we can’t do so and we are agreeable with our colleagues,” said Ssekikubo.
Ssekikubo also noted that although the “Censure Team” had anticipated to end the signature collection exercise as earlier promised, the exercise of collecting signature is still ongoing in order to allow the Secretariat sum up figures and later in the course of the day, Ugandans will be informed which of their MPs have appended their signatures to the motion.
“So we hope that by next week, we shall have lodged all the necessary documentation and the process now would commence, but from this side, we hope the figures are good, we are doing well and as you can see, members are very strong. Yes there might be some few MPs here and there, but those minute numbers shouldn’t tarnish the image of Parliament. This is the time for Parliament to clean itself, to reinvent itself and stand firm in the fight against corruption,” noted Ssekikubo.
The four commissioners; including Prossy Akampurira (Rubanda District Woman MP), Solomon Silwany (Bukooli County MP), and Esther Afoyochan (Woman District MP for Zombo), sat with the Speaker of Par liament, Ms Anita Among, and were awarded Shs400 million each, with Mathias Mpuuga receiving Shs500m.
