All Parliament committee activities will resume business tomorrow after the Speaker Rebecca Kadaga adjourned parliamentary proceedings sine die on January 10.
According to a January 16 release signed by the Clerk of Parliament Jane Kibirige, the plenary sittings will also resume on Wednesday, January 18.
The adjournment followed a public spat between Kadaga and constitutional court Judge Steven Kavuma, after the latter issued an injunction, ordering Parliament not to debate the sharing out of Shs6 billion among 43 senior government officers, a matter that has since caused a public outcry given that some key services in the country are wanting.
In the ensuing saga Kadaga, who cited infringement on the ‘seperation of powers’ of the three arms of government, called Kavuma’s order ‘stupid’, and ordered the deliverer, Deputy Attorney Attorney General Mwesigwa Rukutana, to return it to the judge and have it vacated, and in the process the Speaker vowed to suspend parliamentary proceedings till her order was adhered to.
The money in question, now dubbed the ‘presidential handshake’ or ‘oil cash bonanza’, is part of the US$434 million ‘saved’ following the conclusion of litigation involving the Uganda government and two oil prospecting companies, Heritage Oil and Gas and Tullow Oil.
The court had been petitioned by Eric Sabiiti, a lawyer working with the Electoral Commission, who has since withdrawn this petition and was later also subjected to disciplinary action by his employer, the Electoral Commission.
By press time it was not possible to establish whether Justice Kavuma had vacated his order, or whether Kadaga will stick to her guns and have the debate on the oil cash bonanza.
