Ugandan activists are up in arms over revelations that the former Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Mathias Mpuuga, received a hefty sum of 500 million Ugandan Shillings as a ‘service award’ after just two years in office. This news has sparked outrage among citizens, who question the justification for such a large payout.
Who is Mpuuga?
Mathias Mpuuga is a Ugandan politician, lawyer, and teacher. He served as the Leader of the Opposition from 2021 to 2024. Prior to that, he was a Member of Parliament for Masaka Municipality from 2011 until 2021. Mpuuga is currently the Deputy President of the National Unity Platform (NUP) political party, which is led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu.
The Masaka Mukungwe legislature born on October 12, 1975, in what is now called Lwengo District in Central Uganda. He did very well in school. He got a degree in teaching from Makerere University. Then he got another degree in economics from the same school. He also got a law degree. After that, he went to the Law Development Centre where he studied law.
The decision to grant Mpuuga this substantial sum was made during a meeting of the Parliamentary Commission on May 6, 2022. Present at the meeting were key figures including Speaker Anita Among, Mpuuga himself, and several Parliament commissioners. The meeting aimed to review the benefits provided to elected officials, including the Leader of Opposition and backbench commissioners.
In addition to Mpuuga’s payout, the backbench Parliament commissioners were also awarded 400 million Ugandan Shillings each as a similar ‘service award’. It’s worth noting that one of the conditions of this payout was that it would remain unchanged regardless of the length of tenure in office.
This revelation has stirred controversy, with activists like Agather Atuhaire expressing dismay over the size of the awards. Atuhaire highlighted the stark difference between the outgoing officials receiving substantial sums and their incoming replacements receiving nothing from these funds.
The decision to replace Mpuuga with Joel Ssenyonyi as the new Leader of Opposition came amid public concerns that Mpuuga was too closely aligned with the ruling NRM party. However, it’s important to note that Ssenyonyi will not benefit from the same financial arrangements as Mpuuga, as the payout was specifically tied to the individual holding the position at the time.
This revelation has sparked debates about accountability and transparency within Uganda’s political system, with many calling for more oversight and regulation regarding such financial matters. The sizable sums awarded to outgoing officials have raised eyebrows and prompted calls for greater scrutiny of how public funds are allocated and disbursed.