Asuman Basaalirwa calls for reforms in parliament

Bugiri Municipality  MP and lawyer Asuman Basaalirwa has called for reforms in parliament in the wake of an ongoing process to censure commissioners accused of sharing shs1.7billion in service awards.

Basaalirwa, who represents the embattled commissioners, declared he would not sign the censure motion due to his conflicted position. He also pointed out that the entire parliament is to blame for the financial misallocations.

"The whole parliament is culpable in this matter," Basaalirwa asserted.

"The budget process needs checks and balances because the commission doesn't just bring up a budget on its own. We need to interrogate all budgetary individuals and processes."

Basaalirwa questioned the manner in which the funds were disbursed without proper debate or documentation. "How was the money released with no debate or paperwork anywhere? Why wasn't a red flag raised then?" he asked.

He emphasized the need to discuss the morality of the money-sharing incident, noting that what is immoral might not necessarily be illegal.

"We will discuss the morality of money sharing, but what's immoral might not be illegal. Let's broaden the discussion," Basaalirwa said.

He called for a reassessment of parliament's authority to determine emoluments for all members, including MPs and commissioners.

"The power of parliament to determine emoluments must be queried for all—MPs, commissioners, and everyone," he stated.

Basaalirwa stressed that anyone involved in corruption should face legal consequences and that parliament should not be exempt from scrutiny.

"Anyone engaging in corruption should face the law. Parliament is not above scrutiny. Take parliament to court if you have evidence and information," he urged.