Kyagulanyi Explains Why He Thinks Mpuuga Was Bribed

The war of words between National Unity Platform- NUP Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine, and Nyendo-Mukungwe MP Mathias Mpuuga is far from over.   

A few hours after the former Leader of the Opposition declined to resign over the controversial 500 million Service Award he got from the Parliamentary Commission, the NUP leader, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu hit back insisting that Mpuuga was bribed.   

Mathias Mpuuga on Friday in a statement denied that the five hundred million shillings that he allegedly received as a service award from the Parliamentary Commission was a bribe.  

He explained that every decision for the Parliamentary Commission to confer or reward anyone under its charge is subjected to the relevant committee of parliament for legality, feasibility, sustainability, and relevance. In summary, Mpuuga who is currently a member of the Parliamentary Commission insists he did nothing wrong to warrant his resignation. 

Mpuuga said if such payments amounted to corruption, all current and previous MPs would be compelled to refund to the public coffers monies paid as gratuity or honoraria since no MP, current and previous was not paid gratuity at the determination of the Parliamentary Commission.   

But in the court of public eye, the fact money that Mpuuga received is not provided for under the law, and that fact the former Leaders of the Opposition, Professor Ogenga Latigo, Nathan Nandala Mafaabi, Wafula Ogutu, Winnie Kiiza and Betty Awol Ochan were not awarded raises questions. 

The same questions have been raised within his National Unity Platform party. Robert Kyagulanyi said Mpuuga’s statement does not address the real issue of the 500 Million Shillings, and instead indirectly tries to justify this extreme act of immorality and corruption.  

NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi shared on his X formerly Twitter handle outlined ten reasons why he insists that Mathias Mpuuga was bribed. He wondered what Mathias Mpuuga offered in exchange for the five hundred million shillings drawn from the public coffers.   

What Did Mpuuga give in exchange?   

The question of what Mpuuga gave in exchange is part of Kyagulanyi's questions as he insists that the 500 million shillings awarded to Mpuuga constituted corruption—an act he deemed illegal, immoral, and contrary to the values Mpuuga was supposed to uphold in Parliament.  

“We all know that a matter involving huge sums of money which is not legislated but a matter of negotiation normally involves GIVE AND TAKE. The people of Uganda would love to know what the Hon. Mpuuga gave in exchange for this big favor” Kyagulanyi asked.   

According to Kyagulanyi, as a party that nominated Mpuuga as its Leader of Opposition, they ought to be consulted in the party was not consulted because Mpuuga said it was a matter of personal finance.  

“We believed that as a Party that nominated Hon. Mpuuga to the position of Leader of the Opposition, we should have been consulted on a matter of this magnitude. Indeed, I regularly speak with Hon. Mpuuga on most major issues. But I also learned about this matter on social media and initially dismissed it as fake propaganda. I couldn't believe that my Deputy President would get involved in a matter of this gravity and not say anything about it- not least, to me. When asked why he didn't discuss this with the Party (or at least the President), he said it was a matter of personal finance! Really?” Kyagulanyi wrote.

Furthermore, Kyagulanyi alleged that the meeting that passed what he described as illegal benefits sat on the 6th of May, 2022, shortly after Mityana Municipality MP Francis Zaake was pushed out of the Commission on 10th March 2022, but Zaake was never considered.    

“Although Hon. Zaake was previously a Member of the Parliamentary Commission who lost his seat illegally, he was never considered for the so-called Service Award! Tasked to explain this, Hon. Mpuuga said that they were waiting for the outcome of the court case Hon. Zaake filed. Yet in the first place, the award was supposed to be given regardless of length of tenure! It therefore raises questions about why the Award went only to Hon. Mpuuga and the three NRM Commissioners and not to Hon. Zaake.”  

“It will be remembered that Hon. Zaake's witch-hunt started the day he started questioning the conduct of the Parliamentary Commission, where he chaired the Audit Committee! He was immediately kicked out for trying to expose whatever rot was going on there.”  

Mpuuga noted that there is a deliberate campaign to character assassinate him but he is ready for the worst.

“The campaign to character assassinate me is deliberate and I am perfectly aware. It's well-orchestrated and well-funded. I am ready for the worst if it takes this sacrifice to return sanity and common sense to our politics.”

Mpuuga has faced several allegations of holding backdoor negotiations with the government, with the most prominent one coming in February last year when he was accused of negotiating the release of two NUP members of parliament, Allan Ssewanyana and Muhammad Ssegirinya from prison, after a year and a half year there. But Mpuuga flatly rejected any talks with the government.  

Some of the reasons why Kyagulanyi insists that Mpuuga was bribed  

1.    As all former Leaders of the Opposition have confirmed, none of them ever received a 'Service Award'. What was special about the service of Hon. Mpuuga to warrant a Service Award that was never given to his predecessors?

2.   Even if Hon. Mpuuga and the three NRM Parliamentary Commissioners had done anything exceptional, would it be up to them to sit and award themselves for a job well done? I mean, it defeats basic logic for anyone to say they are awarding themselves- moreover with hundreds of millions of tax payers' money. Does that mean that every public servant should now sit in his office and allocate some money to themselves for feeling good about themselves and the work they do? 

3.    In the widely shared minutes of the Parliamentary Commission, it was clearly indicated that the said money was 'person to holder'- meaning that it would not extend to any of the former or subsequent Leaders of the Opposition. They would be the first and last to receive this money. In our meeting with Hon. Mpuuga, he stated that the reasoning here was that every incoming LOP should negotiate his or her own 'Service Award'. Really? We asked, "What if the next LOP negotiates for 10 billion shillings of taxpayers' money as his or her Service Award? How would we explain this?"