In a move that shows no sign of backing down, opposition National Unity Platform has drawn the red line on its vice president for Buganda, Mathias Mpuuga.
In a statement released on Friday, NUP said the party’s National Executive Committee has asked Mpuuga to explain himself on the shs500 million service award or be kicked out as a parliamentary commissioner.
“You are requested to respond within seven days from the date of receipt of this notice to enable the National Executive Committee take an appropriate decision,” a March, 5 letter by the acting NUP president, Dr. Lina Zedriga to Mpuuga says in part.
Mpuuga has come under fire following a social media expose of minutes of the meeting of the Parliamentary Commission chaired by Speaker Anita Among he attended on May 6, 2022 and shared nearly shs2 billion of taxpayers’ money in form of a ‘service award.’
The sharing of the money has since been questioned.
The National Unity Platform consequently asked Mpuuga to resign from his position as a commissioner of parliament after he admitted taking the shs500 million ‘service award.’
However, Mpuuga would later in a statement, he said he will not resign and insisted the money was not any form for corruption.
“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 and malicious mission,” Mpuuga said.
NUP president, Robert Kyagulanyi recent said the shs500million bears all marks of corruption .
However, in the latest statement, the biggest opposition party says having admitted in a meeting convened by Kyagulanyi and in public, taking the shs500 million is considered illegal, immoral and a clear departure from the NUP values and objectives.
The party noted that to their shock, Mpuuga failed to attend a NEC meeting convened on March, 4, prompting the highest party organ to ask him to explain himself in writing.
“The National Executive Committee considered the serious accusations against you and resolved to ask you to show cause in writing, why you should not be recalled from the Parliamentary Commission, to which the Party seconded you as member.”