A significant rift has emerged within Uganda’s opposition ranks as a call to denounce a controversial 100 million shilling “cash bonanza” has been met with a tepid response.
Acting Leader of Opposition, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, issued a firm directive on Thursday, urging all opposition Members of Parliament to sign a resolution declaring they did not receive the alleged government funds and, if they did, to return the money immediately. The move is aimed at countering growing allegations that President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni’s government is distributing substantial sums of money to MPs to influence crucial legislative decisions.
Kivumbi condemned the alleged practice as a deliberate attempt to “stigmatize, dehumanise, and destroy the institution of Parliament.”
“Each member is going to sign the resolution to say, I did not receive the money and I’m not taking it, and you condemn it, and the signing starts now,” Kivumbi declared. “Now, whoever will fail to sign, we will know you took the money, because that is the simple test.”
However, despite Kivumbi’s clear directive and the ongoing opportunity to sign, the response has been far from unanimous. As of the latest count, out of 109 opposition lawmakers, only 37 have appended their signatures to the resolution.
The fact that a significant majority of opposition MPs have yet to sign raises serious questions about their stance on the alleged “cash bonanza” and their commitment to transparency.
The list of the 37 MPs who have signed is now a matter of public record, highlighting those who have openly declared their rejection of the funds and their condemnation of the alleged practice.
It is noteworthy that out of 52 National Unity Platform (NUP) Members of Parliament, the party led by Robert Kyagulanyi, 25 have not yet signed the resolution, raising questions about the party’s collective stance.
Here is the list
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