The Honorable Richard Burr, Minister of State for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development (Housing), Persis Namuganza, requested that the committee looking into her prove that she undermined the Parliament.
Tuesday, September 13, 2022, saw the minister appear before the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline after Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa ordered an investigation into her alleged comments on the House’s integrity.
On May 18, 2022, Parliament unanimously approved a report by the Adhoc committee on the Nakawa-Naguru land transfer.
In their report, the committee recommended that Namuganza resigns for forging a presidential order that caused the Uganda Land Commission to allot the disputed land to a particular group of investors.
Namuganza allegedly raised concerns about how investors and those who testify before parliamentary committees are treated, comparing it to a torture chamber as she testified before the Adhoc committee.
“The President occasionally delivers verbal orders when we meet. However, when you arrive at the committee and provide the instructions, you are accused of making them up without conducting additional research. It’s miserable,” Namuganza reportedly said.
Legislators, however, claimed that she had made fun of the results and the leadership of the Parliament.
Namuganza spoke before the rules committee with her attorney Norman Pande and stated that she had nothing to say regarding the accusations against her on the House Floor because there was no supporting documentation.
Minister Namuganza Walks Out of Parliament
Hon. The committee’s chairman, Abdu Katuntu, stated that since the material will be presented throughout the investigation, there is nothing to show the Minister or her attorneys. This came when Namuganza asked that the prosecution deliver the evidence against her first.
What proof do you need from us before we submit it? We’re here to look into things. We have not heard a single piece of evidence before the committee; that will change later, he remarked.
Vice-chairman of the committee, Fr. The only documentation available to the committee, according to Charles Onen, is the Hansard, which includes statements from MPs Solomon Silwany of Bukooli Central, Sarah Opendi of Tororo Woman, and other MPs alleging that the minister had questioned the credibility of Parliament in several media-recorded speeches.
Namuganza claimed that she could not respond to the MPs’ accusations because there was no proof.
Atkins Katusabe, the MP for Bukonzo West, suggested that the committee move forward with its inquiries into the situation, pointing out that the minister’s recorded response should be a denial of the accusations.
The vice chairperson ordered the minister to appear on September 14, 2022, together with the witnesses who had brought up the issue on the House Floor.
Analysis by: Advocacy Unified Network
