SOME MINISTERS TO BE SENSURED BECAUSE THEY CANNOT REJECT INSTRUCTIONS

Uganda's problem surely as of now will remain President Museveni. If people were brave enough they would by this time tell President Museveni that the country has problems simply because he is its problem number one. While Ministers stand to be censured, the President will replace them and maintain them on some payroll of advisers, etc. Assume anybody was in Bbumba's shoes, what would he/she have done with instructions from above? Until the brain people and possibly those who fought sort out the Museveni power issue and in some cases misuse of power, Uganda is in a big problem. We must come out and tell President Museveni to stop his excesses or else pack up. We are being shy, fearful about the obvious. Short of that, all those executing instructions from the President Must consult a number of offices where they will get clearance before executing.
William Kituuka Kiwanuka

MPs FIGHT OVER MAKUBUYA CENSURE PROCESS
By YASIIN MUGERWA

Posted Tuesday, January 3 2012 at 00:00

A rift has emerged over the impending process to censure ministers Khiddu Makubuya and Syda Bbumba for their role in the controversial compensation of businessmen over loss of businesses.
Whereas a group of MPs led by Wilfred Niwagaba (Ndorwa East) and Peter Ogwang (Youth Eastern) has kick-started the process of censure by seeking signatures from members, the Public Accounts Committee, which is investigating the ministers’ role says the censure process is being rushed.

MPs are probing Mr Makubuya, the former Attorney General but now a minister in the Prime Minister’s office and Ms Bbumba, the current gender affairs minister who previously held the Finance docket, for their role in approving payment of more than Shs142b to Mr Hassan Basajjabalaba as compensation for loss of business.
The pro-censure group told journalists that they had collected 80 signatures to begin the process although verification by Daily Monitor showed that only 30 MPs had appended signatures to the sheets. The law requires at least 125 signatures to censure a minister.
But PAC chairman Kassiano Wadri (Terego) has accused the pro-censure team of trying to pre-empt his committee’s report. “I appreciate their fight against corruption but let them wait for one month. PAC is going to table its report next month, why can’t they be patient?” he asked. “They are collecting signatures based on press reports yet PAC has all the evidence and facts on these ministers. Those people should not make our recommendations impotent.”

Ethics minister calls for conscience
Amid the exchange, Ethics minister Simon Lokodo asked his colleagues to “listen to their conscience and step aside.” “Kabakumba (Masiko) listened to her conscience and resigned.
Bbumba and Makubuya should check themselves and step aside. In any case truth will come out when the probe is complete. This is what I always tell people to do,” he said.
Several city markets and the Constitutional Square were leased to Mr Basajjabalaba by then KCC but President Museveni later ordered the cancellation of the deals. The businessman then tried sought legal redress leading to the President’s directive that he be compensated.
Parliament later opened an investigation into his payments. Most of the witnesses told PAC that the President knew about the payments. But when PAC met the President recently, he said some letters were drafted for him to sign.

ymugerwa@ug.nationmedia.com