Parliament has demanded that the Leader of the Opposition in Parliament(LoP), Mr Joel Ssenyonyi, provides evidence to support his claims that the House recently disbursed Shs1.6b to its commissioners, with each allegedly pocketing Shs400m as a ‘service award.’
Addressing journalists at Parliament yesterday, Mr Ssenyonyi said they had received reliable information that four commissioners were secretly awarded the hefty sums a few weeks ago, channelled through the Parliamentary Sacco to avoid a paper trail.
‘We have been reliably informed that some weeks ago, four commissioners received Shs400m each,’ Mr Ssenyonyi said. He alleged the money was meant to facilitate the commissioners’ political campaigns ahead of the 2026 elections and was processed discreetly to prevent detection.
‘This money was apparently intended to see them through the campaigns. And to avoid a paper trail, this money was received through the Parliamentary Sacco,’ he added. Mr Ssenyonyi further claimed that the beneficiaries had been spreading false information to divert public attention.
‘Now, these people, through their agents, have been recently, and specifically last week, spreading propaganda that I also received a service award. Some of you probably saw those things. Now, this is completely false, and it is meant to be a cover-up for this second service award that the commissioners gave themselves,’ he said.
He distanced himself from any such transactions, insisting that if money was ever wired to his account without his consent, he would immediately return it. ‘Look, even if they sent any such money to my account, I will direct my bank immediately to return that money to the sender.
Why? Because such under-the-table money is illegal. It is irregular. This is a point that I’ve made several times,’ he said. The LoP also challenged the commissioners to seek legal amendments if they believe they deserve financial awards.
‘As we have said time and again, if any of these commissioners want to be awarded and I’ve heard some of them say former leaders have been awarded, former vice presidents, prime ministers, and so on, let them bring an amendment to the law. We have a law called the Emoluments and Benefits of the President, Vice President.,’ he said.
When pressed on evidence, Mr Ssenyonyi insisted he would not make public allegations without sufficient information. However, Parliament’s Director of Communications Chris Obore dismissed the claims as baseless, accusing Mr Ssenyonyi of seeking publicity.
‘Joel Ssenyonyi as the LoP should graduate from seeking limelight to providing leadership,’ Mr Obore told the Daily Monitor.
‘In leadership, working with teams is very important. He cannot keep peddling falsehoods against his team members and expect to be a team leader or member,’ he added. Mr Obore challenged the LoP to produce evidence, stressing that all parliamentary transactions are processed transparently through the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS). He also accused the LoP of hypocrisy, urging accountability for funds allocated to his office.
‘He is trying to place himself morally above the institution of Parliament, but if he truly loves accountability, let him provide the public with accountability of the money Parliament allocates to his office and also all the money he receives personally from Parliament,’ he said.
‘Parliament needs leaders, not people driven by hubris syndrome,’ Mr Obore concluded. All the four commissioners referred our inquiries for a comment to Mr Obore, with Mr Mpuuga saying: ‘I don’t respond to idiots.’
Background
In 2024, Parliament faced widespread criticism after it emerged that four parliamentary commissioners had each received Shs500m as a ‘service award.’ The beneficiaries included then LoP Mathias Mpuuga, Rubanda Woman MP Prossy Akampurira, Bukooli County MP Solomon Silwany, and Zombo Woman MP Esther Afoyochan. The revelation also ignited internal conflicts within the NUP, with party officials accusing Mr Mpuuga of abuse of office and demanding his resignation.