President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has warned Members of Parliament not to dare attack and blackmail his Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Monica Musenero or else they will have it rough.
While speaking at the Science, Technology and Innovation exhibition at Kololo Ceremonial Grounds on Wednesday, the furious Museveni said there is a tendency of attacking whoever is doing well in his government before assuring the attackers that he will not allow such vice.
“I saw people attacking Musenero in Parliament. Normally I quote the Bible but this time I want to quote the Americans, Apparently, Americans have a law, which makes it an offence to attack a decorated officer of the US army. Now I see some people attacking Musenero, little do they Musenero is a decorated scientist.”
Museveni added that his connection with Dr. Musenero is far beyond office work.
“When I saw people attacking her I said I hope they are right because if they are not I will go for them because you have no right to attack a decorated officer of the Uganda scientific community. This is now the trend in Uganda to attack very important and useful people in our country this must stop.”
His warning comes at the time when the Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has put up a committee to investigate the corruption allegations where Dr. Musenero is accused of embezzling government funds over totaling to Shs31bn.
The allegations were first put up by whistleblowers who petitioned the office of the Inspector General of Government to investigate her. However, before the IGG took a step, Ntungamo Municipality MP Yona Musinguzi last week came out on the floor of Parliament and disclosed how Museveni’s decorated scientist (Dr. Musenero) siphoned over Shs31bn.
“I want this House to recall that in 2020 a certain group of scientists went and convinced the President that they can produce Covid-19 vaccine and indeed they went ahead and drew big sums of money. In 2020 they drew some Shs20bn for a sole company called Preside under the directorship of Dr. Musenero,” Musinguzi said last week.
Musinguzi, also a former Assistant Commissioner in the Ministry of Science went ahead and tabled before parliament documentary evidence seeking to implicate Musenero regarding the utilization of funds meant to facilitate the COVID-19 vaccine development under the Presidential Scientific Initiative on Epidemics-PRESIDE.
“Money has been siphoned by people who have marketed themselves and go to the President lie to him that they can produce vaccines. They even chased away right doctors who would have done wonders in the ministry of science. These people even went ahead and convinced the president to abolish the whole Ministry all in the name of siphoning the country.”
Based on the allegation, Deputy Speaker Among decided to form a select committee to probe the matter, however, there is a strong doubt if they will execute the assignment given the intervention of the fountain of honour.
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