Former MP for Kagoma County Dr.Frank Wilberforce Bulima Nabwiso has spilled the secrets detailing the genesis of fights between Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga and Lands state minister Persis Namuganza. Nabwiso was MP from 2001 to 2006.
In a huge dossier, Nabwiso narrates how Kadaga and Namuganza clash started and how unfair the Parliamentary committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline has been especially to the minister. We reproduce the excerpts of the dossier:
On 18th April 2018, Ms.Ida Kusiima, on behalf of the Clerk to Parliament wrote to me a letter,reference AB/199/288/01, inviting me to submit “a comprehensive written memorandum to the Committee” (of Rules, Privileges and Discipline–CRPD),sharing my views with the said Committee on the conflict between the Rt. Hon Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga (the Speaker of Parliament) and Hon Persis Namuganza (the Minister of State for Lands and MP for Bukono County). She further directed me to deliver my memorandum to the Parliamentary Records Office, Room 112, First Floor, South Wing, before 3:00pm of Monday 23rd April 2018. I definitely submitted my memorandum on time,and hoped that I would be invited to discuss it with the Committee, but to this day I have not received any communication from her.
I was therefore shocked (after 6 months) just to read on page 7 in the New Vision of Friday 12th October 2018 that the Committee had completed its Report in which “it faulted Namuganza for failing to maintain and strengthen the public trust and confidence in the integrity of Parliament”. The report further asserted that: “Namuganza’s utterances undermined the integrity of the Speaker, and undoubtedly had the effect of bringing Parliament and its members into disrepute”
I believe that the Committee is entitled to make such a judgement. However,it should not cover up the truth. Since the age-limit debate in December 2017, millions of Ugandans do not have much trust or confidence in the 10th Parliament of Uganda. They do not believe that it has enough integrity to protect. Hence my general appeal that Parliament should not continue to ditch itself into deeper political abyss countrywide. Hon Namuganza was interviewed by the committee in an open place in Parliament, in the presence of the media. But Rt. Hon. Kadaga was interviewed in an unknown place, allegedly for decorum reasons.
To those who want to promote natural justice, that Report may be construed to be one-sided. It will therefore be strange if the recommendations from such a Report are adopted by the supreme law-making organ of the Republic of Uganda, which is also thought to be the voice of the voiceless.
My second humble opinion is that the 10th Parliament should avoid creating more bad precedents in its work. The Kadaga-Namuganza clash is the first of its kind in the history of Parliament. So, it may be unwise for Parliament to create the precedent of entering into the struggles of two MPs or more who may be quarrelling about political or other matters in their home area. Put in different words, what type of legacy does the 10th Parliament want to leave behind in Uganda?
It is necessary to highlight Kadaga’s involvement because the main accusation against Hon. Namuganza is that she used a foul and spiteful language against Rt. Hon. Kadaga and His Royal Highness William Wilberforce Nadiope IV, the Kyabazinga of Busoga.
Most of the information in this section is available in Chapter 14 entitled “The Succession Disagreements 2008-2016” in the book known as “Evolution of Busoga Eleven Hereditary Chiefdoms and Kyabazingaship in Uganda: 1600-2016” (written by Richard Kayaga Gonza and Frank Nabwiso, assisted by Diaz Muzaale and Fred Oloka). It reveals how Rt. Hon. Kadaga participated actively in the said succession struggle after the death of the third Isebantu Kyabazinga H.W. Muloki on 1st September 2008. The additional information comes from other authentic sources as shown below in a chronological order.
From 2016,Kyabazinga Nadiope and his Bugembe cultural government started a program to chase away the Royal Chiefs who did not support him in his controversial election in August 2014. Specifically,they chased away; Chief Juma Munuulo of Bunha, Chief Yasin Male Waguma of Butembe and Chief Samuel Mugalya of Bukono
It is also widely known that Rt. Hon Kadaga has never condemned any of Nadiope’s unconstitutional acts in Busoga’s Constitution, such as his appointment as a kind of roving ambassador in President Museveni’s office in 2017 when he automatically became a public or civil servant. Many Basoga thought that he would abdicate his Kyabazinga post.
In my view,therefore, she went to Bukono on 26th February 2018 with knowledge that it was a provocative journey. She knowingly went to support a disputed new Nkono called Godfrey Kibbaalya,ignoring Samuel Mugalya Kamaga who was elected on 30th December 2013 to serve as Acting Nkono after the death of Christopher James Mutyaba V (the then substantive Nkono) on 23rd December 2013. Then on 7th January 2014, Mukunya Milton and Dauda Mugalya the Isaabalangira and Chairperson of the Executive Committee of Bukono Chiefdom respectively, officially notified Kamaga’s election to the then Acting Kyabazinga and Isaabalangira of Busoga (the late David Kaunhe Wakooli).
So, it is believed by many Bukono people that Rt. Hon Kadaga went to their area because she believed Godfrey Kibaalya to be in support of Busoga Lukiiko’s motion on 17th November 2017 to make her favorite candidate W.W. Nadiope a permanent Kyabazinga, in contravention of the Busoga Constitution of 13thDecember 2000.
My appeal is that the 10th Parliament should seek more truthful information about the root-causes of the Kadaga-Namuganza clash before it pronounces itself on the matter.
The 10th Parliament should make efforts to persuade Rt. Hon. Kadaga to restrain herself from participation in activities which appear to be, or which can be interpreted as, aiming to create parallel chiefs in some of Busoga’s eleven chiefdoms. In the same vein, she should be persuaded to respect the decorum of her office and appear to be neutral henceforward in the Kyabazinga affairs despite her unflinching support for Kyabazinga Nadiope in the last 10 years. This is necessary in order to promote peace, development and prosperity and not instability in Busoga Sub-Region which is already known, even by the Government of Uganda, to be the poorest sub-region.
The 10th Parliament should promote the doctrine of separation of power and responsibilities in all its operations and not give the impression that it supports the “might is right” ideology, and that the behavior and utterings of those in high positions (especially in the political arena) should never be questioned by lesser or ordinary souls.
The doctrine of separation of power should be promoted, because of the on-going view of some eminent political scientists, social workers and lawyers that all the 10 Parliaments in Uganda have been surrendering their powers to the different Presidents and their ruling parties since 1963 to present, as exhibited in some of the constitutional amendments which the said Parliaments have enacted. The failure to promote the said doctrine is chiefly attributed to the MPs who have believed at different times in the “might is right” ideology.
No MP should be allowed to use his/her position in the 10th Parliament or future Parliaments to intimidate fellow MPs, other leaders and ordinary people in any constituency,to support his/her selfish interests.
