Ethics and Integrity Minister Simon Lokodo has called on his Gender counterpart Syda Bbumba and former Attorney General Prof. Kiddu Makubuya to resign their portfolios before being censured by parliament.
Pressure is mounting on the two senior ministers to step down for their roles in awarding over 100 billion shillings to city businessman, Hassan Basajjabalaba. Makubuya is now minister in charge General Duties in the Prime Minister’s office.
Lokodo says the resignation of the two would save them from further embarrassment which their imminent censure by colleagues would subject them to.
Lokodo, who returned to office on Monday after a Christmas and New Year’s holiday, told Uganda Radio Network at parliament that he expects his colleagues to see sense and use their conscience to save their integrity and not allow themselves to be pushed out. He said he was re-echoing the position of the appointing authority, President Yoweri Museveni, for zero tolerance to corruption in 2012.
Lokodo’s tough stance comes just three days after a group of legislators led by Eastern Youth MP Peter Ogwang and his Busongora North counterpart, William Nzoghu, started collecting signatures to prepare a censure motion against Makubuya and Bbumba.
By 3pm on Monday, unconfirmed reports within parliament indicated that at least 30 signatures had already been collected, at a time when the MPs are still on recess and in their constituencies.
The pro-censure MPs need at least 135 signatures, which is one third of all elected members of parliament, to petition the appointing authority to reign in the two ministers.
Lokodo has vowed that this year, the priority of government will focus on fighting corruption to save money for economic and social development in the country. He said a lot of money is stolen by public officials, money that would otherwise go towards social development.
He said he would work hard in the new year to build more capacity of the Inter Agency Forum against Corruption so that their fight against graft is achieved.
The Inter Agency Forum against Corruption consists of the IGG, Directorate of Ethics and Integrity, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions – DPP, CID and the Attorney General’s chambers.
Lokodo says these agencies need to be more strengthened with more personnel in some cases, so that their work is improved.
