Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has directed the Attorney General to followup the issue of paying all ex-servicemen, including those who fought in the Second World War.

The Ex-servicemen under their Association Uganda Veterans Association Board (UVAB) won a legal suit against the Attorney general but to date government has not yet paid them their gratuity.

The veterans’ struggle to get benefits has been running for long.

 In March 2004, 45,000 ex-servicemen, grouped under their Association, sued government for about US$470 million in salary arrears, allowances, gratuity, pensions and damages, covering a period of over 23 years.

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Kadaga said the office of the Attorney General receives funds for the Ex-servicemen from the British government to cater for the war veterans but they have never received the money and most of them have aged and others have died while others are at verge of dying due to old age.

Kadaga said the way these aged men are being treated is not good.

This follows a letter wrote to the speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga by Chairperson of the ex-servicemen under the Uganda Veterans Association Board (UVAB), Eliyabu Kavuma a 93 years   saying his struggling with prostate cancer but he has no funds to treat himself and government has not paid them their gratuity.

Kavuma also pleaded with parliament to help collect for them 500,000 shillings from parliament to fight a legal battle with government.

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Tumwine (L) had been orderd by Kadaga (R) to vacate Nommo Gallery. Internet Photos

The Minister of Security General Elly Tumwine has maintained that the speaker of parliament is ignorant about the facts of the Nommo gallery.

This was when he was explaining to parliament about the alleged attack on the speaker of parliament over parliamentary decision calling him out of the Nommo gallery.

Recently parliament passed a resolution ordering General Elly Twine to vacate Nomo gallery and pay rent arrears worth 1.6 billion that is accumulated since 1998.

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Making a personal statement yesterday evening, General Tumwine repeated his statement against Kadaga and also insisted that he will not pay any money for rent since the Nommo gallery belongs to the visual artists, of which is a patron.

Tumwine found it difficult  to defend himself against the statement that attacked the Speaker of Parliament when Rubaga North MP, Moses Kasibante tabled before parliament transcribed statement of General Tumwine that will be used as evidence while parliament is probing him.

Minister of Security, Gen. Tumwine. Courtesy photos

Kadaga,however directed the legal and parliamentary affairs committee to investigate the facts behind Nommo gallery and then report to the house for action to be taken.

WATCH: Parliament’s legal committee directed to investigate Nommo gallery case

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The African peer Review mechanism members while meeting the speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga tasked her to explain the measures put in place to resolve political behaviors that undermine inclusivity.

Responding to the APRM members, the speaker of parliament Rebecca Kadaga explained that what happened during the tabling of the presidential age limit was caused by the proposal to remove age limit from the constitution to have a person of 100 years to stand for presidency.

She told the APRM delegation led by the Bishop Denis Sengulane that the fight in parliament reflected tension in public over the age limit bill.

The speaker accused the leader of opposition Winfred Kiiza of causing the suspension of 25 MPS during the age limit bill.

She said that when she told the 25 opposition MPS whom she ordered to leave, the leader of opposition refused them to adhere to the speakers order.

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Prof. Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile

The Parliamentary appointments committee chaired by speaker Kadaga has vetted and approved Prof. Emmanuel Tumusiime Mutebile as the governor bank of Uganda for the next five years, after he was re-appointed by
President Museveni for the fifth term. According to Sources which attended the meeting, the committee approved Mutebile after serious grilling for having assisted the ruling NRM party with large sums of money from the Treasury to fund the party’s electioneering activities.

However in response, he said that he has never been used by the politicians to print more money, adding that the Bank has suspended printing of money during elections fearing that such money would end up facilitating political campaigns. When asked what he was doing to control the increasing commercial Bank rates, Mutebile said, the high lending rates are determined by the forces of demand.

Mutebile was first appointed as the Central Bank governor on January 1, 2001 but was re-appointed for a second five-year term on January 1, 2006. In November 2010, he was re-appointed for a third five-year term, running up to January 12th, 2016.

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Civil society organizations under the Anti corruption coalition Uganda have petitioned the parliamentary commission headed by speaker Kadaga calling it to cut the salaries of all those MPs who dodge parliamentary sittings.

In a petition they handed over to one of the parliamentary commissioners also Bukedea women MP Rose Akol by executive director of the coalition Cissy Kagaba , the group say that there is no need for  the commission to continue to pay  MPs when they do not attend the session. She says MPs must be paid according to the numbers of sittings they attend to ensure value for money.

Kagaba says if parliament fails to take action against those MPs who always absent themselves from parliamentary work, then they will ask the people who elected them to represent them to demand for accountability.

While receiving the petition Rose Akol says that parliament is to involve the parliamentary committee on rules , privileges and discipline  so as the order paper always reflects the MPs on sick leave , special duties of parliament and it will include MPs attended each previous parliament sitting to expose those who dodge the parliament sessions.

The chairperson of  the  parliamentary committee on rules , privileges and discipline, Oboth Oboth, says the absence of some MPs affects the regular MPs in house who want to transact work for the country.

The concern by the civil society comes at the time when both the speaker and her deputy are forced to either adjourn or suspend the house business due to lack of quorum to take decision.

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“We finally have a Kyabazinga. He is focused on improving the livelihood of the people of the Kingdom. This is one of the flagship projects that will ensure each household has a solar lamp,” she said. Kadaga in her address to the Twegaite International Convention said the lighting project will deliver hundreds of jobs to the youth of Busoga Kingdom, as the lamp comes along with phone charging facilities. A factory to assemble the lights will also be established to create more jobs for the youth.

“I implore you Ugandans in the diaspora to be more focused and ensure you remain relevant to the people back home. You must ensure the transfer of knowledge acquired towards improving the lives of our people,” Speaker Kadaga added.

The Speaker also expressed her support to a call by Ugandans in the diaspora to join a new campaign to stop the spread of trachoma in the districts of Busoga Kingdom. “I have just heard reports from medical experts that trachoma is affecting many of the districts of Busoga. This is one of the neglected diseases to which no one had paid attention. We need to wake up the structures of the Kyabazinga and revisit the clan system to save our people,” she noted.

Kamuli district Chairperson Salaamu Musumba said there was need for the people of Busoga region to cope with the speed of change and development in the world. She re-echoed the need to help transform the lives of communities in Busoga. Musumba emphasized the need to have education at the forefront alongside other basic amenities.

Busoga International Convention brings together Basoga in the diaspora and seeks a collaborative effort for Busoga regional Development.

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Addressing participants at the 4^th Africa Day Conference in Ljublijana Slovenia May 19^th, Speaker Kadaga said the migration of many Africans to Europe is conditioned mainly by unemployment. “Everybody loves their country. Those who leave do so because the situation is not good for them like in Libya and Somalia. I think it is important for Europe to invest in Africa to improve the economic and political conditions of the people living there,” she said.

Speaker Kadaga attributed the immigration problems across the high seas to the search for opportunities and a better livelihood. “I think if you are to support Africa and reduce migration to Europe, it is very important to create investments on the continent. No African wants to leave their home but this is conditioned by lack of opportunities”, she told Conference delegates.

Rt.Hon. Kadaga noted that the African continent is generally endowed with manpower but still needs support to improve living conditions. She rallied investors to come to Uganda which she described as a good destination for investment with its current political and economic conditions. The Speaker emphasized that the current population of unemployed graduates in Uganda provides a good human resource for investment.

Speaker Kadaga with Speaker of Slovenia Dr Milan Brglez

“Uganda has opportunities in the mineral sector, tourism and value addition for agriculture products. Slovenians can also visit Uganda for cultural and religious tourism. The current legal framework supports private sector investment“ she added. The Speaker who met the President of Slovenia H.E Borut Pahor at the Presidential Palace and the Speaker of the National Assembly Dr. Milan Brglez re-echoed the need for building better bilateral relations between the two states.

She extended an invitation to the President of Slovenia to visit Uganda with officials of the Chamber of Commerce.

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