The Leader of Opposition, Hon Mathias Mpuuga has said that the Attorney General, Hon Kiryowa Kiwanuka, must issue a legal interpretation clarifying on whether the individuals perceived to have retired, but continue accessing the public purse, should enjoy retirement benefits.
Mpuuga, who was addressing a press conference on the accountability of the Shadow cabinet was responding to the recent handing over of posh vehicles by Parliament to the former Speakers and Deputy Speakers.
Mpuuga particularly pointed out the former Speaker Rt Hon Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga, who is the current first Deputy Prime Minister and the former Vice President Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, who is a Presidential advisor, and therefore both still accessing the public purse.
“At what stage must one take the benefit of these perks? I think it is a question of interpreting the law, can someone take a benefit when they still have the lien on the public purse? That is the question that the legal minds must break down. For instance, my friend Rebecca Kadaga a former Speaker but still a Minister still has access to the public purse, and therefore she isn’t entirely retired. So is Ssekandi who is a former Vice President and former Speaker. The question is, if he is finally retired, what perks does he take, that of the former Speaker of former Vice president? And he is still a Presidential Advisor and therefore, he still has access to the public purse,” said Mpuuga
The posh vehicles, which cost taxpayers Sh2.5b, caused a public uproar with many members of the public wondering if the government cares about priorities.
Unrelatedly, Mpuuga said it would ‘suicidal and neglect of duty’ for the Opposition to participate in the 2026 general elections with the current electoral laws and Constitution, saying that the 1995 Constitution was invalidated after the dropping of presidential term limits.
“It will be suicidal for Opposition to plan and go for next elections without meaningful constitutional and electoral reforms. I personally contend that we no longer have a valid Constitution, the 1995 constitution and what it portends are two different things. Any Constitutional lawyer will tell you, that in 1995 at promulgation, the predicate was a two term presidency, which is why the President was given a lot of powers and the feeling was that even if you are powerful, you after all go after two terms. So when you migrate the two terms, that is a new constitution and therefore, it no longer represent the consensus of the people,” said Mpuuga.
Mpuuga added that, “A Constitution is a people’s consensus and a migration from the tenets including term limits, it means you have enacted a new Constitution and that Constitution is immensely disputed. Evolve a new Constitutional framework that can speak to the aspirations of the people. The Opposition, to go back to the elections with the electoral Commission constituted in the same way with wide ranging powers to do what they do, would be an act of neglect by the Opposition,”.
The Opposition is slated to elect a new Leader of Opposition early next year or renew Mpuuga’s term in office.
