Onek is accused, together with Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi and foreign affairs minister Sam Kuteesa of taking bribes from oil companies.

The committee, chaired by Michael Werikhe said they could not proceed without documented presentations from Onek, who is the current minister of Internal Affairs.

Onek said he did not possess a written submission of his response to the legislators concerns and had failed to get some information from the ministry of energy.

He asked for more time up to Tuesday next week to ensure the needed information and documents are given to be able to present his case.

The issue of resignation also came up after Makindye West MP; Hussein Kyanjo questioned his refusal to step aside while the committee investigates the bribery claims as well as the Rules and Privileges which is handling the issue of contempt of Parliament on the part of the ministers.

Kyanjo expressed fear that the committee could be wasting time if it did not first get guidance from the Speaker on how to proceed.

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Onek, who appeared before Parliament’s Rules, Privileges and Discipline committee this morning, contends that there are no provisions in the law requiring him to do so, adding that the resolutions passed in Parliament last month, calling for his resolution following the claims are merely advisory.

Onek was invited to the committee to make his case for not stepping aside following a petition tabled before the House by Kween County MP, Chemaswet Kisos for him, as well as Prime Minister, Amama Mbabazi to do so.

Onek told the MPs his conscience told him not to step aside and that he had consulted with the NRM party and his constituents, who both advised him to continue holding his portfolio.

Asked by the committee chairman, Fox Odoi on whether the resolution on resignation was not binding, Onek explained that he can only step aside if ordered to do so by the appointing authority and attempts by Parliament to do so were not right.

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Mr Mbabazi said the impending censure motion could only apply if he was a Minister. He noted that as Prime Minister he could only leave office on resignation, death, no longer qualifies to be a Member of Parliament (MP) or was removed by the appointing authority.

Amama Mbabazi John Patrick, new prime Minister of Uganda

Mbabazi was briefing the Kinkizi West Constituency Council Executive Committee on the bribery allegations in Kihihi, Kanungu district on Saturday. District Councilors, LC3 chairpersons, opinion leaders and special interest groups’ representatives attended the meeting.

Mr Ali Rugomwa, the committee chairman had said the constituents were worried that their MP would soon be kicked out of Parliament. He was also concerned about government failure to tarmac the 43km Kanyantorogo-Butogota-Mpungu and 40km Butogota-Buhoma roads.

“Be steady and rest assured that I am going nowhere because there is no iota of truth in the (oil bribery) allegations,” Mbabazi said. He explained that whereas the roads were some of the nine prioritized throughout the country the government could only raise money for three this year.

He said MPs asking him to step aside on false allegations was tantamount to convicting him over unfounded claims and sentencing him unfairly. MPs including Theodore Sekikubo, Mohammad Nsereko, Gerald Karuhanga, Wilfred Niwagaba, Celina Nebanda and Rosemary Seninde wanted Mbabazi and Ministers Sam Kuteesa and Hilary Onek to leave office.
Mr Mbabazi briefed his constituents on the 10 resolutions, among which was that government halt transactions in the oil sector until there are adequate enabling laws. He said Cabinet rejected the idea because similar resolutions had delayed power generation at Bujagali in Jinja, slowing down economic transformation in the country.

“Government cannot stop oil activities because they are the way to industrialization and solving the employment problem,” Mbabazi said. He explained that the country had already earned over 2.5 billion shillings in oil revenues which would be used for the Karuma power generation facility.

He underscored the importance of agriculture in driving the economy, saying the Government had increased funding to the sector to 20% of the national budget, up from 4.8% last year.

Mbabazi said value addition to local products would be strongly supported to transform the economy. Other incentives included tax waivers on some products and improving the general investment climate in the country.

By Kyetume Kasanga, Prime Minister’s Press Unit

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