The move to censure security minister Gen. Elly Tumwine has failed after majority of Members of Parliament declined to append their signatures on the motion.
With two days left, it would have taken a miracle for Kasambya MP Mbwatekamwa Gaffa, the mover of the motion, to collect all the 150 signatures .
The visibly disappointed MP, accompanied by Mayinja county legislator John Baptist Nambeshe told the press this afternoon ,that he had withdrawn the petition after consultations with other that had signed.
What is shocking is that majority of opposition legislators have shown no interest despite the seemingly public show of support.
On 7th February 2020, parliament unanimously resolved that General Tumwine be censured and three days later the clerk wrote to all MPs informing members that a list had been placed at the south wing for members who wished to append their signatures.
With two days left, only 39 members of parliament have signed.
More than 200 people passed the resolution including opposition MPs, rebels MPs, and the entire human rights committee members.
“I have come to realize that in the 10th parliament actually most of honorable members, whatever they say in corridors and on the floor or even before cameras is quite different.
We have interacted with very many members of opposition and majority have not signed.
Ugandans have been claiming that opposition MPs sleep in state house, move at night and benefit from everywhere, I have to confirm that in Uganda we do not have opposition.
These are people who have been talking about human rights abuses every day and when you hear them speak , one may think the world is coming to an end.”
The reason legislators give for not signing is that they are interested in knowing the numbers of people that have appended their signatures first
Surprisingly only two members of the Human rights committee members have signed it yet it is them that that called for a resolution to punish General Elly Tumwine.
Those who have appended their signatures are Mbwatekamwa Gaffa (Kassambya County, NRM), Theodore Ssekikubo (Lwemiyaga County, NRM), Mathias Mpuuga (Masaka Municipality, DP), Allan Ssewanyana (Makindye West, DP), Moses Kasibante (Rubaga North, Ind), and, Abdullatif Sebaggala (Kawempe North).
Last year, the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, instituted an investigation into the alleged torture by Internal Security Organisation (ISO) after Mr Latif Ssebaggala (DP, Kawempe North), and Kassiano Wadri (Ind, Arua Municipality), alleged that ISO was running safe houses to torture people in Kalangala District and Kyengera in Wakiso.