Museveni top minister set to be dropped from cabinet

MPs from the Karamoja sub-region have concluded the process of censuring Karamoja Affairs Minister Mary Goretti Kitutu over allegations of diverting relief items destined for vulnerable communities on the left side northeast of the country ‘Uganda.

Yesterday, Members of Parliament submitted in the offices of the Speaker and Parliamentary Secretary a notice of motion to censure, the first step in the process of censoring a minister, as set forth in Rule 109 of the Parliamentary Rules of Procedure.

According to the announcement, Ms. Kitutu allegedly failed to deliver the iron plates and other items intended for Karamoja to support the ongoing disarmament exercises and transferred some of the items to unintended beneficiaries. .

MPs argued that these constituted mismanagement and abuse of power or knowingly breached the oath of allegiance or oath of office. These are some of the grounds provided for in Section 118 of the Constitution under which a Minister can be removed from office.

Parliament in 2021 passed an additional budget of 39 billion shillings to purchase 100,000 corrugated iron sheets for unarmed youth and vulnerable people in the subregion, but these have yet to be delivered. hitherto.

Faith Nakut, Napak’s MP, said she opted for the censure after asking the President to have the minister transferred to another docket was not granted.

“As Parliament, we do the oversight role. Our role is to ensure that whatever is given to Karamoja is taken to Karamoja. There is evidence that iron sheets for Karamoja were found in Namisindwa. The best is to get her out of the office,”  Mr Ben Baatom, the Dodoth West MP, one of the signatories, said.

While other ministers and senior civil servants are said to have benefited from the diversion, Ms Kitutu, who led the heartbreaking case, is now at the center of the latest storm to rock the Prime Minister’s Office. (OPM).

OPM details show Ms. Kitutu left with 3,000 pieces of corrugated iron. We were unable to reach Minister Kitutu to inquire about her side of the story as her known phone number was not available at press time and she has made no public statements since when the news of the robbery of corrugated iron sheets supposedly for Karamoja came out two weeks ago.

Earlier this month, the State Anti-Corruption Unit is said to have arrested the minister’s relatives, who were found along with the Iron Sheets. Sources said they were released on bail as investigations into the scandal continued, with the cooperation of OPM.