Mafabi demands arrest of MPs who approved service award

Mafabi has questioned what the four commissioners did to warrant a service award

Budadiri West legislator Nathan Nandala Mafabi has called for the arrest of all MPs on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee for their role in approving Shs1.7 billion service award given to four Parliamentary Commissioners.

Mafabi's remarks came during a press conference after he signed a censure motion against the commissioners.

He criticised the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, alleging that the only notable achievement of the four commissioners was filling Parliament with their relatives in lucrative positions.

He said in his 23 years in Parliament, he did not see any commissioner receive a service award.

"If the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee had an exceptional issue, it should have highlighted it to us as MPs, indicating that these commissioners have done something so wonderful that we need to reward them," Mafabi said.

"Since they never did it and for us we never saw, even the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee should be held liable as they are holding the MPs of the Budget Committee.

"They must have been given something to keep quiet, and this one, the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee, must answer."

Mafabi also emphasized the importance of transparency in parliamentary debates on ministerial policy statements, noting that committees are required to highlight significant issues.

However, the service award for the Commissioners was never brought to the attention of Parliament by the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee.

"If they really said that they were awarded for service, we are the ones who should have credited them that they served us," he said.

Mathias Mpuuga was making a year in office as Leader of the Opposition when he attended a meeting, along with three backbench commissioners, that awarded him Shs500 million on a person to holder basis.

He was also given a bodyguard upon retirement in the March 6, 2022 meeting that awarded Shs400 million each to Solomon Silwany (Bukooli Central), Esther Afoyochan (Zombo Woman) and Prossy Mbabazi (Rubanda Woman).

The revelations of the award caused a rift in the National Unity Platform as the party Mpuuga subscribed to disowned the money as corruption, immoral and abuse of office.

"Tell me, what did they do for all of you to see that they have done it, apart from overpopulating Parliament with their relatives as workers and friends? This is unacceptable."

So far, 146 MPs have signed the censure petition against the four Parliamentary Commissioners, with 31 more signatures needed to reach the required total to move the process forward.

The call for accountability has intensified amid ongoing corruption investigations, and Mafabi's demands for the arrest of the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee members reflect growing frustrations within Parliament