Big Interview: No MP is reduced to errand “boys and girls” of the Speaker, says Mwine Mpaka

There have been some voices from the opposition and general public at large accusing members of Parliament of being reduced to “errand boys and girls” of the Speaker of Parliament Anita Annet Among.  This is based on how these MPs are conducting their business at Parliament which most people feel is sorely influenced by the Speaker.

 But Mwine Mpaka Rwamirama, MP representing Mbarara City South who also doubles as the chairperson of the Select Committee at Parliament investigating the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) saga said all these allegations are not true.

 Mpaka who spoke to The Nile Post in an interview and shared with us a number of issues, urged the public to always trust their leaders and stop main statements that ridicule them.

 

Excerpts below:

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Why was the state minister of Lands and Urban Development, Persis Namuganza, worth censuring?

The reasons as to why she was censured are very many because 348 members of Parliament voted for her censure, so you have to ask all these MPs as to why they voted that way. For us as a committee our role was to establish prima facie evidence which we did on the grounds of misconduct and misbehaviour. It was now entirely up to the members of Parliament to take a decision individually as you saw during voting and tallying.  

Why did you take on the task?

Well as a young leader it is very unfortunate for you to turn down any responsibility of leadership. However, you must do this in a sober way because these responsibilities as well can destroy your career if handled badly. So, we took our time and we analysed all the evidence and probably it is why MPs appreciated our report.

Namuganza claims she has presidential backing, are you not afraid of incurring the anger of President Museveni?

Well, as members of Parliament we are here to serve and we have served and we will serve in our capacity as members of Parliament. We just hope our effort will be appreciated.

Which other causes have you championed in Parliament that people might not be aware of?

As a member of Parliament in the 10th Parliament I moved a Private Member’s Bill to establish the Youth Development Bank, unfortunately the minister of Finance denied us a certificate of financial implication. I moved a motion to ban the sale of sachet waragi, it was achieved and it is why we don’t have sachet waragi now in shops.

I moved a motion to ban pyramids and Ponzi schemes. This was a bit controversial because there were probably so many “big people” who were involved. But we ensured that accounts were frozen and some people were compensated their money. The Financial Intelligence Authority is putting a whip on them.

I also moved a motion to investigate the labour externalisation fund where they were charging $70 per Ugandan leaving the country and this money was being remitted to someone’s personal account to the tune of over Shs 17.5 billion. Hon minister Janat Mukwaya was put on the spot to explain this and unfortunately a week later she was dropped from the ministry. 

I have served in the previous Parliament on the gender committee, trade committee, the East Africa Committee. In this Parliament I have chaired the trade committee, I have chaired the East Africa Committee, I have chaired the Select Committee on Persis Namuganza and I am now chairing Select Committee on the NSSF saga.

While in the trade committee we have several reports. The first report was on the fuel crisis, the second was on the Atiak Sugar Factory which unfortunately never saw the light of the day but we prepared the report and it was signed. The third was a report on the Soroti Food Factory.

We have also presented a report on the Vinci coffee agreement. We have had a report on the impact on Covid-19 on the current economy. We had a report on the fires in the parks. On the trade committee we have actually performed very well in the previous year. Of the 28 reports that were presented on the floor of Parliament, the trade committee had nine out of 32 committees. So, I think that was an achievement and we are yet to see the statistics for this year.

What issues do you think this Parliament should be focused on and why are they not?

I think Parliament is focusing on the main issue as they come. When it comes to legislation, we have passed more Bills than any other Parliament. I think we are actually handling the issues but the challenge is the current economic situation in the country which is affecting the Ministry of Finance’s commitment to fulfil certain infrastructural development and other necessities as may be required.

Some voices have accused MPs of being reduced to errand boys and girls of the Speaker. Is this true and if not, what is your take?

I think every member of Parliament here is honourable in their capacity and it will be unfortunate to assume that someone is an errand boy or girl or is being used by anyone. Because these are the same members of Parliament the people out there voted and I would want to believe they voted honourable members of Parliament. It will be unfortunate for them to ridicule the same people they sent to represent them.

Has Persis Namuganza spoken to you on phone? If yes, what did she tell you?

I have never spoken to Hon Namuganza on the phone and I don’t have her number for that matter. All the invitations to our committee were done by the clerk and telephone(calls) were done by the clerk. So, I have never talked to Hon Namuganza during this investigation. I just wish her the best.

In case she reaches out to you, will you be able to talk to her freely?

Hon Namuganza is a member of Parliament and I have no issues with her. Just like me I am a member of Parliament and I don’t see any reason as to why I cannot talk to her.

Away from that issue, what does the probe on NSSF hope to achieve?

The probe on NSSF, we have terms of reference that were given to us by the presiding officer. We would want to establish the growth and compare it to the region such as Kenya and Tanzania and other East African countries. We want to establish whether the allegation of the Minister (of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Betty Amongi) in the regards to  Richard Byarugaba(the embattled managing director of NSSF) is true when it comes to corruption.

We want to establish whether the funds are safe. Is the saver sure that actually his or her money is safe? We want to look at corporate governance (structures)because we have an amendment in the NSSF Act. There is now a duo management of this Fund. We want to establish whether the duo management is causing problems and the existing law. Most importantly to know whether they are having political interference in running this Fund or is someone bypassing certain procedures to do things in his or her interests.

How do you resist pressure from people you probe, some of whom are your friends?

If a member of Parliament has an interest in a certain matter or a witness that is appearing before him or her, the rules of procedures are very clear, you declare your interest and you withdraw from the proceedings.

There is a question whether there will be any other public hearing from any other person concerning the ongoing probe on NSSF. When will this happen and how are you going to do it?

We are going to put an advert in the newspapers inviting any other persons from the public. We thought we would give them enough time. This advert will be running tomorrow (This was on Tuesday January 31, 2023). We hope probably Monday (February 6), we are going to have a sitting the whole day for any other person to come and give us further information in regards to NSSF.

We have also come across a case at Police that was handled internally where a national ID was forged by one of the staff at NSSF and this money was withdrawn. We want any other person with such similar issues to come up and present to the committee so that we can have a comprehensive report.

What is your assessment of the performance of the 11th parliament so far because many people think it is not performing well?

It is evident that (it is performing very well). When you look at the Bills we have passed, when you look at the motions that have been raised. Given the situation this Parliament started after the Covid-19 pandemic, we didn’t sit for quite some time. We were attending in shifts because of the pandemic but when you look at the achievements so far in just two years, it is also almost the same as what the 10th Parliament achieved in almost three years. I believe this Parliament has actually done its best given the circumstance to legislate and carry out oversight.

Will you stand for the speakership position one day?

Right now, my responsibilities are to serve my constituents in the best way possible. Whether I return or not as a member of Parliament will be up to the voters. I am now serving my voters and whatever I do in Parliament is on behalf of those people. Other than that, I don’t have any ambitions in that regard.

What is your biggest political ambition?

My biggest political ambition is to serve my people elegantly or honestly and maintain their credibility.