The National Unity Platform vice president in charge of Buganda, Mathias Mpuuga has told the party he will not resign from his position as a commissioner of parliament over shs500 million he irregularly took.
In a statement on Friday, Mpuuga said there was no wrongdoing in picking the said monies from parliament which he said was done legally.
“The duties and roles of the Parliamentary Commission are well stipulated in the laws of the land, and coughed in basic language. An issue I shared and labored to educate my comrades with whom we interacted in an informal conversation at the party offices. It is the same commission that votes funds to all political offices, including the LOP’s office. It takes care of the welfare of ordinary members and their leaders in Parliament, including determining the range of legally permissible payments, that may be salary, allowances, gratuity, honoraria, car grants among others,” he said.
“Every decision of the commission to confer or reward anyone under its charge, is subjected to the relevant committees of Parliament for legality, feasibility, sustainability and relevancy.
To call any such payments corruption is the highest level of spite, double standards and deliberate misrepresentation to the public and membership of the party on a purely selfish mission.”
The opposition political party on Thursday said in a statement that Mpuuga had in a meeting with NUP leadership admitted to have taken the shs500 million.
They asked that he resigns as a parliament commissioner.
“If such payments amounted to corruption, all current and previous MPs would be compelled to refund to the public coffers monies paid as gratuity or honoraria since no MP, current and previous was not paid gratuity at the determination of the parliamentary Commission.”
Mpuuga explained that whereas the general public is entitled to question decisions of its leaders at every level, this right should never “be exploited by self-seekers, opportunists and populists” to undermine, berate and smear those they consider in unpalatable terms to their brand of politics.
“The campaign to character assassinate me is deliberate, and I am perfectly aware. It’s well orchestrated and well-funded. I am ready for the worst, if it takes this sacrifice to return sanity and common sense to our politics.I am available as ever to help this young party rid any form of corruption from its rank and file and especially that ingrained at the base of the party.”
“I accordingly decline the cowardly call on me to resign as a parliamentary Commissioner, based on spite, envy and deliberate misrepresentation.”
