“Urgent Steps Against Corruption: Rt. Hon. Mathias Mpuuga Advised to Step Down Amidst Allegations of Misconduct”
Statement on Corruption and Abuse of Office”
The hashtag #UgandaParliamentExhibition is being used in an online protest, aiming to highlight significant corruption, abuse of office, and gross mismanagement of public affairs within Parliament’s leadership and among other leaders.
The protest uncovered not only rampant corruption among NRM leaders but also serious allegations against leaders on the opposition side. Former Leader of the Opposition in Parliament and current Parliamentary Commissioner, Rt. Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, along with three other Parliamentary Commissioners, have been accused of irregularly awarding themselves large sums of taxpayers’ money under the guise of “Service Awards.” As part of this scheme, Rt. Hon. Mpuuga was allocated 500,000,000 UGX (Five Hundred Million Uganda Shillings).
On Wednesday, February 28th, 2024, an urgent meeting was convened by the President, bringing together senior Party leaders, Deputy Presidents, and some senior legislators. During the meeting, Rt. Hon. Mpuuga confessed to participating in this misconduct and apologized for his actions. Given the circumstances, he was strongly advised to step down from his role as Parliamentary Commissioner with immediate effect.
It’s crucial to remember the National Unity Platform’s values: Discipline, Reliability, Inclusiveness, Integrity, Patriotism, and Service. All forms of corruption and abuse of office are contrary to these values, as well as to the Integrity Oath that every Party leader took at the beginning of this term.
Therefore, it is vital for leaders at all levels to engage in self-reflection and recommit to these values and the Oath they took, with a firm stance against and active opposition to corruption in all its manifestations.
