The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Joel Ssenyonyi, has alleged that Parliamentary Commissioners Solomon Silwany, Esther Afoyochan, Prossy Akampulira Mbabazi, and Mathias Mpuuga each received a second service award of Shs 400 million, in addition to an earlier payout.
This comes after the controversial Shs 500 million service-to-holder award reportedly given to them after serving two and a half years as LoP and Parliamentary Commissioners.
“I have been reliably informed that some weeks back, the four Commissioners of Parliament — Solomon Silwany, Esther Afoyochan, Prossy Akampulira Mbabazi, and Mathias Mpuuga — received a second service award of Shs 400 million each, which was channeled through the Parliamentary SACCO to avoid leaving a clear paper trail,” Ssenyonyi revealed on his X (Twitter) handle.
According to Ssenyonyi, the money was allegedly meant to facilitate the commissioners during the campaign season.
“These leaders, through their agents, have been spreading propaganda that I also received a service award. This is completely false and is meant to cover up this second award that the Commissioners granted themselves,” he said.
Ssenyonyi added that even if any such funds were quietly deposited into his account, he would immediately instruct his bank to return the money, terming it “illegal and irregular in every sense of the word.”
Fallout with NUP
In January 2025, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the National Unity Platform (NUP) dismissed Mathias Mpuuga from his position as Deputy President for the Buganda Region, replacing him with Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi, the Butambala County MP.
According to NUP Secretary General David Lewis Lubongoya, Mpuuga had “effectively distanced himself from the party’s values.”
The fallout stemmed from earlier corruption allegations against Mpuuga, who was accused of awarding himself Shs 500 million as a “service award” during his tenure as a Parliamentary Commissioner.
Although the court later confirmed that the funds had been processed through established procedures, the incident ignited major controversy within NUP.
On March 15, 2024, NUP President Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu (Bobi Wine) publicly addressed the matter, alleging that Mpuuga, along with Speaker Anita Among and other Commissioners, had been involved in a misallocation scandal.
“It was alleged that Mpuuga, together with Speaker Anita Among and others, wrongfully awarded himself Shs 500 million,” Bobi Wine said. “After credible evidence came to light, I convened a meeting with all deputy presidents and the party leadership.”
Kyagulanyi added that during the meeting, Mpuuga admitted to receiving the money and acknowledged that it should not have been a personal award.
He was advised to return the funds, apologize publicly, and resign from the Parliamentary Commission.
“We await to see whether Mpuuga will heed this advice and take moral action,” Kyagulanyi remarked.
Formal Recall from the Parliamentary Commission
On March 18, 2024, Secretary General Lubongoya formally petitioned Speaker Anita Among to recall Mpuuga from the Parliamentary Commission, citing corruption, dishonesty, and abuse of office.
He also nominated Zaake Francis Butebi as Mpuuga’s replacement.
In response, Speaker Among clarified that while political parties nominate commissioners, it is Parliament that elects them, and once elected, they serve Parliament as a whole, not their political parties.
“Commissioners can only be removed through a motion supported by at least one-third of voting MPs,” she noted. With 529 Members of Parliament, at least 177 MPs would need to support such a motion.
Among added that Mpuuga had neither vacated his parliamentary seat nor been found guilty of misconduct by Parliament—conditions required for his removal from the Commission.
