Princess Persis Namuganza, the state minister for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development, has been censured by Parliament today due to her disrespectful behavior and disparaging remarks.
There were 356 MPs in the house voting. Of the 348 lawmakers who voted to censure Namuganza, 3 lawmakers abstained, 5 were against the proposal, and 5 others voted in favor of it.
This comes after an ad hoc committee suggested the minister be censured for her involvement in the Naguru-Nakawa land allotment and her contempt for the legislature.
The committee headed by Mwine Mpaka concluded in its report that Namuganza had failed to uphold the public’s confidence in the independence of Parliament by failing to behave herself in a way that would do so consistently.
Namuganza was found to have specifically attacked the leadership of Parliament for creating an ad hoc committee to look into her over the Naguru-Nakawa land allocations, according to an investigation conducted by the Committee on Rules, Privileges, and Discipline last year.
Namuganza is said to have used social media and television to criticize the presiding officers of Parliament’s ability to create ad hoc committees and their methods of operation.
The Committee on Rules was subsequently charged with looking into the claims and found that Namuganza’s social media posts suggested inappropriate motivations on the part of Parliament.
The Select Committee declared that it had discovered prima facie proof that Namuganza’s behavior had violated the standards of behavior and conduct expected of a Member of Parliament.
“The Committee prays that this report be adopted by the House and that it serves as the starting point for the proceedings of censure against Hon. Persis Namuganza from the Office of the Minister of State for Lands, Housing, and Urban Development,” Mwine Mpaka said.
The committee made note of the conduct and behavior standards expected of ministers as well as members of parliament.
“The committee is of the considered opinion that the standard of behavior and conduct expected of a member applies to all Members of Parliament, whether elected or ex-officio,” he stated.
However, he claimed that Namuganza was given the chance to testify before the committee and refute the charges made in the motion, but she declined without providing a valid explanation.
“Despite several attempts, Namuganza did not appear before the select committee for a fair hearing. “Letters inviting Namuganza to appear before the committee were duly served on her,” he said.
For misrepresenting a presidential order that caused the Uganda Land Commission to allot the aforementioned land to a particular group of investors, the committee recommended that the minister resign.
Newspaper articles, videos pulled from YouTube, and excerpts from NTV and NBS newscasts accusing Namuganza of attacking Parliament were presented to the Committee by lawmakers led by John Amos Okot, the member of parliament for Agago North.
Namuganza’s problems began in May 2022 when an ad hoc Committee accused her of participating illegally in the 142-acre Nakawa-Naguru Housing estate land giveaway to some investors, which was allegedly done on the President’s order for a satellite city.
After leaving the meeting called by the committee, the Minister later stated in public that Parliament, which approved her appointment after the President had seconded her to the Ministry, did not have the authority to look into her.
The minister denounced the committee’s recommendations and the censorship, calling them witch hunts and acts of contempt of court. She also accused Speaker Anita Among of stoking personal animosity against her.
The President, who is the appointing authority, will be in charge of replacing the Minister even though Parliament today censored her. However, Namuganza will continue to serve in Parliament in her rightful capacity as the Bukono MP.
