The National Unity Platform(NUP) has announced the recalling of its Vice President for Buganda Mathias Mpuuga from the parliament commission and replaced him with Mityana Municipality MP, Francis Zaake.
In a statement on Friday afternoon, the opposition party said their National Executive Committee sat today to consider the response Mpuuga on accusations of pocketing shs500 million as a service award.
They however said his response was not satisfying leading to his recalling.
“Although he responded to NEC’s request to show cause why he should not be recalled from the Parliamentary Commission, he did not provide any satisfactory explanation for engaging in this grave action which goes against the mission, values and objectives of the Party,” acting NUP president, Dr. Lina Zedriga said in a statement.
Mpuuga has come under fire following a social media expose of minutes of the meeting of the Parliamentary Commission chaired by Speaker Anita Among he attended on May 6, 2022 and shared nearly shs2 billion of taxpayers’ money in form of a ‘service award.’
The sharing of the money has since been questioned.
The National Unity Platform consequently asked Mpuuga to resign from his position as a commissioner of parliament after he admitted taking the shs500 million ‘service award.’
However, Mpuuga would later in a statement, he said he will not resign and insisted the money was not any form for corruption.
“To call any such payments corruption is the highest level of spite, double standards and deliberate misrepresentation to the public and membership of the party on a purely selfish and malicious mission,” Mpuuga said.
The party last week gave Mpuuga seven days to give explanation on the service award.
In the statement released on Friday, the acting president said Mpuuga’s explanation was not to the standard.
“ In particular, he did not make any attempt to respond to the specific accusations leveled against him. In light of this, NEC has resolved to recall Hon. Mathias Mpuuga from the Parliamentary Commission on account of corruption, dishonesty and abuse of office, and to notify Parliament of the same.”
The opposition party noted that they have nominated Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake to replace Mpuuga in parliament.
“ His nomination was informed by the fact that he was illegally removed from that role in March 2022 in order to pave way for the grand corrupt and questionable dealings of the Parliamentary Commission that have now come to light.”
The party also noted that in the coming days, it will initiate the relevant processes to effect this resolution.
