PAC Chair Bars References to PLU in Committee Proceedings

The Chairperson of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Patrick Nsamba Oshabe, has directed Members of Parliament to refrain from invoking political or military affiliations while conducting committee business, ruling that references to the Patriotic League of Uganda (PLU) have no place in parliamentary proceedings.

Nsamba made the ruling during a tense sitting in which the committee was examining officials from the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development, the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL), and other agencies over issues raised in the Auditor General’s report.

The directive followed repeated references to PLU by Busia Municipality MP Geoffrey Waluswaka. At the start of the meeting, Waluswaka indicated that the committee would scrutinise the appointment of UEDCL’s Managing Director before warning that corruption-related matters would also be addressed.

Later, as members questioned inconsistencies surrounding billions of Shillings collected through electricity levies, Waluswaka remarked that “as a PLU commander” he had taken note of the matter, prompting an immediate intervention from the chair.

Nsamba immediately instructed the legislator to desist from making such references.

The PAC chair stressed that parliamentary committees derive their authority solely from Parliament and not from any political organisation, pressure group, or civic movement. “Henceforth, we will not be hearing that PLU thing because, on one hand, you’re using it to threaten the people. We don’t want our witnesses to think they are going to the basement any time,” Nsamba said.

He reminded Waluswaka that committee members serve in their constitutional capacity as elected representatives. “You’re a Member of Parliament representing the people, and none of you was deployed here on behalf of PLU. The Speaker never deployed you here on behalf of PLU,” he said.

To reinforce his point, Nsamba cited fellow committee members with military backgrounds, noting that they participate in committee proceedings strictly as legislators rather than representatives of the armed forces.

“You see, even the Major General here, I have him as a Member of Parliament. He never comes up to say, ‘I am the UPDF.’ Honourable Waluswaka, that stops today,” he ruled. Waluswaka immediately retracted the remarks, telling the committee, “Sorry, Chair, I withdraw.”

The exchange unfolded as the committee investigated discrepancies in the accounting of the Rural Electrification Levy.

MPs questioned conflicting figures presented by the Ministry of Energy and the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited (UETCL), raising concerns over unreconciled amounts ranging between 121 billion and 143 billion Shillings. Members faulted both the entities and the auditors for failing to provide a consistent account of the funds.

Nsamba’s ruling comes amid the growing visibility of the Patriotic League of Uganda in the country’s political landscape. Although PLU describes itself as a civic organisation that promotes patriotism, its increasing political influence and the involvement of several senior government officials in its activities have sparked debate about the relationship between political movements and state institutions.

Against that backdrop, the PAC chair’s intervention underscored a key constitutional principle: parliamentary committees exercise oversight on behalf of Parliament alone and must remain independent of political, military, or civic organisations.