The Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga has warned MPs against bashing reports of various Committees, arguing that the move is bringing disrepute to Parliament.
Kadaga’s remarks were in response to a procedural matter raised by Bukooli County lawmaker, Solomon Silwany, who wondered if it was procedurally right for MPs to storm radio stations debating the report by the Committee of Commissions Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) on closure of seven defunct banks by the Central Bank before the debate on the report was done by Parliament.
Silwany pointed fingers at Nakaseke South MP, Paul Lutamaguzi Ssemakula, accusing him of making inflammatory remarks about COSASE members receiving bribes and describing the report as baseless.
Kadaga concurred with Silwany.
“If we continue, we shall bring you from media and discipline you here. Put an end to this, we shall bring you to the Rules Committee,” the Speaker said.
She also put Government to task to explain if they had adopted a policy to frustrate indigenous banks because most of the banks closed by Bank of Uganda were locally owned.
“I am wondering whether Government has a strategic plan to close indigenous banks in this country, because they are comfortable at closing these banks,” she said.
However, State Minister Youth Affairs, Nakiwala Kiyingi denied allegations of Government sabotaging local banks arguing, “Centenary Bank is number three with capital base of 12% so it gives us room to think that if you handle services diligently, you remain in business, I don’t believe in any effort to sabotage local banks.”
During the second day on the debate on the report yesterday, former Leader of Opposition, Winfred Kiiza said that it is unfortunate that it’s the very Ugandan officials from Bank of Uganda collapsing Ugandan banks.
She said: “It was a target to wipe out all Ugandan banks from the economy. It sadden us to learn that Bank of Uganda which has mandate to superintend really slept on job. No wonder Museveni said his officers sleep on job, but this time, they didn’t only sleep on job, they ate the job.”
The Kasese Woman Representative concurred with COSASE recommendation to compensate shareholders of closed banks, arguing that it is then that government will be tasked with recovering money from sleeping public servants and called for the culprits to face the long arm of the law so that they can act as examples to other Government officials.
Kiiza also proposed that the Board of Bank of Uganda shouldn’t be a political appointment, saying that the officials use this mechanism to hide themselves behind support of the President to think they are untouchable.
“Even the person who appoints them said he advised them not to close the banks and never heed to his advice. Who is he (Mutebile) in this Bank? When they get the jobs, they forget the one who appointed them,” Kiiza remarked.
She added: “We are here babysitting foreigners at expense of our own investors; our own investors are being sabotaged. I am looking at Sudhir, he has lost a lot of weight; possibly it is because of the closure of his bank. When you find them, you feel pity; they have grown old because of selling their banks.”
