Parliament has rejected the decision of Opposition Whip MP John Baptist Nambeshe to remove MPs Dr Abed Bwanika and Joyce Bagala from heading the Standing Committee on Government Assurance and Implementation.
On Wednesday, June 19, 2024, during the plenary session, MP Nambeshe announced that Dr Bwanika of Kimanya-Kabonero County had been dropped from chairing the committee, and MP Joyce Bagala, the Mityana District woman representative, dropped as the vice chairperson.
The decision met strong resistance from the House, chaired by Speaker Anita Annet Among, who termed it unfair and lacked transparency.
“In my ruling, the decision by the opposition chief whip was not in line with parliamentary procedures and the affected members had not been given a fair hearing, “he revealed.
The Speaker noted that the affected members should have been accorded a fair hearing before being.
They claimed the decision could have been motivated by the current personal disputes between NUP and its members.
MP Nambeshe claimed the duo had not performed to the expectations of the party.
The Speaker’s decision has set a precedent for future disputes and has highlighted the need for clear guidelines and procedures to ensure that such arguments are avoided in the future.
In the meantime, Bwanika and Bagala have been reinstated in their positions as Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Government Assurance, pending further investigations into the allegations made against them.
