Former Speaker of Parliament and First Deputy Prime Minister Rebecca Alitwaala Kadaga and Bukono County MP Persis Namuganza’s relationship has always been known to be rocky but that may now seem to be a matter of the past amid the dust over the latter’s censure by Parliament.
A Parliamentary sitting on Tueaday this week voted overwhelmingly to have Namuganza censured as State Minister for Lands. This made her the first minister to be censured by the House since the promulgation of the 1996 constitution, with prior attempts against Jim Muhweeezi, Late General Elly Tumwine, Jenepher Musenero among others failing prematurely.
The issue has since generated a wide range of reactions from the public with many questioning the intention of those in charge of the House while others have been in support of the move.
Prominent among those objected to the censure of the Minister is, surprisingly, Former Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga who accuses fellow legislators of ganging up against their fellow as though they were spotlessly clean themselves.
She argues that there are colleagues who spearheaded the plot against Namuganza yet they have themselves been implicated in numerous corruption scandals resulting in losing of billions in tax payers’ money but have not been reprimanded yet.
The Kamuli District Woman MP suggests that her Bukono County County counterpart should have been given time to answer or sort issues with regard to the accusations leveled against her other than rushing to purge her making it seem as if she was being targeted specifically.
Kadaga further indicates that the House conducted itself with bias concerning the minister issue, which should not have been.
” Many of you have misused your offices in corruption scandals and you have reigned the treasury of our nation but no one has come out to call for your censorship.” She said.
Kadaga also appealed that even though the Minister might not be clean as with any other human being, her position in cabinet needs to be protected and restored.
“Namugaza might not be so clean but we all fall in the same cup. So her ministerial post shld be restored and also protected.” She appealed further.
Rt.Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga is the longest serving Member of Parliament having served since the Consultative Council days in 1989. She also participated in drafting the 1995 Constitution as the Woman Representative for Kamuli District between 1993 and 1995.
Kadaga also, most recently, lead the Legislative Arm of the Government for ten years between 2011 and 2021. Prior to that, she had deputised Edward Kiwanuka ssekandi in the same role before he was appointed Vice President.
Kadaga and Namuganza have for long been publicly known rivals, with the latter unsuccessfully attempting to overthrow the former from the ruling NRM’s CEC position during the 2020 elections.
Namuganza is also on record for having commanded a mob of her constituents in Namutumba to clobber Kadaga should she set foot in the district in 2018.
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