This development was disclosed by Emmanuel Dombo, who serves as the director of Information and Publicity at the NRM secretariat. His revelation brings to light a significant matter within the party’s decision-making processes, particularly regard- ing financial allocations and parliamentary oversight.
Leaked resolutions from a Parliamentary Commission meeting held in May 2022 revealed that a decision was made to award Mathias Mpuuga, the now former leader of the opposition, a one-off service award of Shs 500 million. Additionally, three commissioners from the National Resistance Movement (NRM) – Solomon Silwany, Prossy Akampurira and Esther Afoyochan – were allocated Shs 400 million each.
This service award led to controversy and the subsequent suspension of Mathias Mpuuga, vice president of the National Unity Platform (NUP) for Buganda. He faces accusations of participating in the meeting and being involved in the allocation of Shs 1.7 billion. Despite his suspension, Mpuuga maintains that the allocation was lawful and affirms his intention to remain with the party.
When approached by The Observer for comment, Prossy Akampurira, the woman representative for Rubanda district, declined to speak on the matter, citing her maternity leave. Esther Afoyochan, the woman member of parliament for Zombo district, stated that the issue would be addressed at an appropriate time.
In an interview for this story, Emmanuel Dombo explained that the parliament is an independent organ of government, possessing its own leadership and self-accounting mechanisms. As such, it is accountable for its decisions unless those decisions contravene the law, as determined by the auditor general or the inspectorate of Government.
“In the absence of any formal communication by government agencies, it becomes futile to comment on something that is merely trending in the media,” Dombo stated.
He emphasized that the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) Central Executive Committee has not yet deliberated on this matter, nor has it been presented to them. Dombo assured that if the issue is brought before the committee and a decision is made, the public will be duly informed.
“I doubt this matter will come up unless an investigation reveals illegal actions or violations of regulations, rules, or law. In such a case, the party chairman, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, will provide guidance on the resolution of the matter,” he added.
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