The embattled Minister of Science and Technology, Monica Musenero (pictured) has distanced herself from misusing Shs31bn meant for research into manufacture of COVID-19 vaccine, saying she is a born again Christian who lives by God’s commandments.
This is after Parliament instituted an ad hoc Committee to investigate allegations of mismanagement of funds for the covid virus manufacture.
In an interview with journalists at Parliament today, Musenero denied receiving the purported documents tabled before Parliament by Yona Musinguzi (Ntungamo Municipality) and lashed out at media for using all their mouth piece to soil her good name and threatened to pay back journalists in a similar currency by not allowing them in a meeting while facing the ad hoc committee.
“You have worked so hard to ensure I emerge as dirty, I am not a thief, I have worked for a long time. I am a born again Christian and I even didn’t tell the President about this, but he recognized that attribute about me,” Musenero said.
The Minister further described herself as hardworking, intelligent and brave, noting that she braved the ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone when other scientists took off for their dear lives, and it is that courage of hers that caught the eye of President Museveni.
She welcomed the ad hoc committee but revealed she won’t welcome the journalists for fear of them leaking secrets on the covid cure her fellow scientists are working on.
“We will not accept journalists because I we can’t entrust media with our research secrets. I have invested in myself, I am excellent in what I do that is why I can’t fall short of jobs. Even as I am here, I have been having phone calls from UK to come and work for them. I have never sat home unemployed. If you know anybody who is patriotic, then it is me, I love Uganda. This job is a love offering to my country,” a visibly angry Musenero said.
Meanwhile, Speaker Oulanyah rejected pleas made by Ibrahim Ssemujju (Kira Municipality) to call out President Museveni for threatening Parliament, following his remarks to deal with whoever falsely accused his “decorated scientist” Musenero of corruption.
Ssemujju described Museveni’s remarks as an attack on Parliament, saying the President had threatened to go for whoever labeled those allegations against his Minister Musenero.
“That is very frightening because in the 9th Parliament when we lost Nebanda, the Chief Executive started like that. I was wondering whether as head of this institution needs to speak to the Chief Executive not to issue public threats against the institution of parliament and individual MPs who are protected by the law to do the work of parliament,” said Ssemujju.
However, Speaker distanced from the Musenero drama, choosing peace over war with President, tasking Ssemujju to point out which particular rules of procedure of parliament would the Speaker rely on to call the President to order.
Instead, he said that no one is clean because on many occasions, people have said things in places where they shouldn’t and in circumstances where they shouldn’t have said them and the President’s case wouldn’t be exceptional.
Oulanyah said, “I wouldn’t take it to a level of an attack on Parliament. This Parliament is here, if there is an attack, we are here. When you are attacked, you respond, but we don’t feel attacked. As of now, there is no attack.”
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There should be evidence.