The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Unity Platform (NUP) has appointed Butambala County MP Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi as the new Deputy President for the Buganda Region, replacing Mathias Mpuuga. Mpuuga’s removal from the position comes after he was reportedly involved in a corruption scandal. According to NUP Secretary General, Mpuuga has since left the party.
On March 15, 2024, NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine, publicly addressed the issue, stating that Mpuuga, along with Speaker Anita Among and other parliamentary commissioners, had been implicated in a scandal involving the misallocation of Shs 500 million. “It was an allegation that Mpuuga, together with Speaker Anita Among, among other commissioners, wrongfully awarded himself Shs 500 million. This was disturbing. After what I considered credible evidence came to light, I convened a meeting with all my deputy presidents and party leadership, including the Secretary General, Deputy Secretary General, and other prominent leaders,” Bobi Wine explained.
During this meeting, Mpuuga admitted his involvement in the wrongdoing, acknowledging that he had wrongfully awarded himself the funds. He also recognized that this money was supposed to be passed to the holder, not to individuals before or after him. “We advised him to honorably return the money, as it is dirty money, apologize to the nation, and resign from his commission role to demonstrate goodwill and integrity. We await to see whether Mpuuga will heed this advice and take the moral action recommended,” Bobi Wine added.
The meeting resolved that should Mpuuga do the right thing by dissociating from corruption, apologizing to the Ugandan people, and resigning from the commission, the party would consider rehabilitating him and reassessing the situation. However, the decision ultimately rests with Mpuuga’s actions.
On March 18, 2024, NUP Secretary General Lewis Lubongoya formally petitioned Speaker Anita Among regarding the party’s decision to recall Mpuuga. He noted that although Mpuuga had responded to NEC’s request to explain why he should not be recalled, his explanations were insufficient and did not address the serious accusations against him.
“NEC has resolved to recall Mathias Mpuuga from the Parliamentary Commission on the grounds of corruption, dishonesty, and abuse of office, and to notify Parliament accordingly. NEC further resolved to nominate Zaake Francis Butebi as a new Parliamentary Commissioner,” Lubongoya said.
In response, Speaker Among clarified that Parliamentary Commissioners are elected by Parliament, and parties only play a role in nominating candidates. Once elected, commissioners no longer represent party interests but serve Parliament as a whole. “Once elected by Parliament, the commissioners cease to serve individual party interests and instead serve Parliament. They can only vacate their positions or be removed in accordance with the law,” Among said. She further explained that the process of removing a commissioner requires a motion initiated by at least one-third of the voting members of Parliament. Given the total membership of 529, this would require the support of no less than 177 MPs.
She also stated that Mpuuga had neither vacated his seat as an MP nor been found guilty by Parliament of misconduct, incompetence, or any other reasons that would warrant removal from the commission. Since the controversy, Mpuuga and the NUP leadership have been at odds.
