Wilfred Niwagaba, the Ndorwa East Member of Parliament has said if Gen. EllyTumwine did anything that obstructed the functioning of Parliament, he would be censured.
who is also the shadow attorney general in parliament
A process to censure Security Minister, Gen Elly Tumwine over alleged operation of ‘safe houses’ was triggered by Parliament last week.
Muwanga Kivumbi, the shadow Internal Affairs Minister, amended a report on ‘safe houses’, a generic term to denote torture chambers, to include the censure of Gen Tumwine.
While speaking to Watchdog Uganda at Kirigime Guest House on Saturday evening, Niwagaba noted that if parliament indeed found out that the army general had failed Human Rights Committee of parliament from doing work, then no doubt he would be censured.
“If the minster who is the Member of Parliament does anything that stops parliament from functioning, he or she is liable for contempt o Parliament, and that is one of the grounds where he can be censured, but of course it’s a mixture of law and politics.” Niwagaba was quoted.
Rule 108 of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament details the process of getting a Minister censured, which has to contend with the Member spearheading the censure notifying the Clerk to Parliament in writing, citing the grounds and a proposed motion with the basis for the censure.
Gen Tumwine is accused of blocking the legislators on the Human Rights Committee of Parliament when they were probing illegal detention centers in the country.
Tumwine is also accused of undermining the Human rights committee members when he last appeared to discuss on the issue of the sad torture Houses.
Ms Rebecca Kadaga ,the Speaker of Parliament last year triggered an investigation into the alleged torture by Internal Security Organisation (ISO) after Mr. Latif Ssebaggala (DP, Kawempe North), and Kassiano Wadri, (Ind, Arua Municipality), successfully moved a motion to have the House investigate the alleged existence of safe houses in Kalangala District and Kyengera in Wakiso District.
Mbwatekamwa Gaffa ,the Kasambya County MP who presented a motion to parliament recently will need at least one third of the Members of Parliament to append their signatures on the list if the motion is to proceed.
But if after 10 days elapses when one third the MPs have not signed on the list, the Notice of Censure shall lapse.
Gen. Tumwiine, however, according to Rules of Procedure, has a right to defend himself on the floor of parliament.
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