State Minister for Lands, Persis Namuganza has run to the Civil Division of the High Court in Kampala to challenge her recent censure by Parliament.
In the suit, Namuganza, who is also the Bukono County legislator listed the Attorney General as the respondent and accused parliament of not giving her a fair hearing before being censured.
“Parliament on January, 6, 2023 appointed and approved a seven member select committee to investigate to investigate the applicant with the aim of establishing a prima facie case against her by the appointment of the committee was done in contravention of the law and the rules of procedure of parliament and is riddled with procedure irregularities,” Namuganza says in her suit.
She says that the tabling of the report by the committee and passing of the resolution by parliament to censure her were all marred by irregularities that contravened the constitution, the law and principles of natural justice.
“The report has findings against the applicant which were arrived at without according her a fair hearing , an opportunity to be heard and are therefore illegal , irrational and procedurally improper.”
Namuganza says in her suit that four of the members of the select committee are among the people who appended signatures signifying support for the motion to censure her yet they had already pronounced themselves on the motion which was improper.
“Being signatories to the censure process and members of the select committee, they acted as complainants, prosecutors and judges in their own case,” she avers.
According to the Bukono County MP, she was not given sufficient time to prepare and respond to the allegations made against her before the select committee and therefore findings of the committee’s report were null and void.
Orders
In her suit, the State Minister for Lands wants court to issue an order quashing the findings and recommendations of the select committee of parliament on the motion that led to her censure.
“The applicant seeks an order quashing the resolution of parliament censuring the applicant from the office of a minister in the government of Uganda ,” the court documents read in part.
Namuganza also seeks a court order to expunge the report by the select committee from the records of parliament but also stopping the Attorney General and his agents from executing the resolution of parliament and the report of the select committee to censure her.
