A clandestine move by mafias to antagonise Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among Magogo and her deputy, Thomas Tayebwa has failed to bear fruit, this news website can say with authority.
It should be remembered that the same mafias were behind the bad relationship between former Speaker Rebecca Kadaga and her deputy the late Jacob Oulanyah. The two hardly related, with the late accusing Kadaga of denying him chance to preside over the affairs of parliament.
The feud between Kadaga and the late Oulanyah, according to insiders in parliament, was caused by mafias who were interested in getting contracts worth billions of shillings through improper means. Oulanyah, with the backing of NRM gurus, would late succeed Kadaga after beating her in an election for the speaker, with Among being his deputy.
There is concern that the extension parliamentary chambers is behind schedule due to mafias who wanted to benefit from the project awarded to financially inept ROKO Construction. Insiders say ROKO got the contract at the time Kadaga and Oulanyah were at loggerheads and it played well for the mafias.
The mafias therefore don’t want to see Among and Tayebwa working together, especially when it comes to projects at parliament. “Honourables Among and Tayebwa related well, which disturbs mafias who want to get contracts at parliament unfairly,” a worker at the Parliamentary Commission said.
“Remember that Among and Tayebwa were formally FDC members but they are now leading the 11th parliament after joining the ruling party, the NRM,” he added, adding that Among and Tayebwa share a history that has made them work without antagonizing each other. “Have you heard of Among complaining about her deputy or vice versa, like it happened during the 10th parliament?” He continued.
Of recent Speaker Among has complained of people trying to assassinate her and police has started its work to dig out who really wants to kill the speaker who doubles as Bukedea District Woman MP, who also has a close working relationship with the executive, unlike former speaker Kadaga who did not relate well with the Cabinet on certain matters.
“If is true that Among’s life is being threatened, then we cannot rule out mafias. They so badly need billions of money from parliament through building contracts. “Threatening her life could be one way of making her to award contracts wrongly,” a parliamentary reporter who has covered parliament for over six years added.
To confirm that he relates well with Among,Tayebwa has dismissed reports that there is a rift between him and Among, instead saying that they supported each other since their election and would continue to do so to accomplish their tasks.
“I am not the Speaker, so why should I bicker with her? The Speaker has given me all the necessary support and has gone beyond her call of duty to treat me as a brother and I also treat her as a sister,” he added, calling upon Ugandans as well as leaders to work in harmony even when they differ in opinion.
Tayebwa has lauded the 11th Parliament for doing well in processing government businesses and passing laws, urging the government to table more business, saying the House was ready to handle it.
“We are demanding business from the government because whatever you [government] have given us, we have processed,” he said.
