Ugandan opposition lawmakers on Thursday demanded the publication of a graft report implicating top government officials, two days after they stormed out of Parliament and caused fracas over its delay.
The report, which details the theft of at least $25-million during Uganda’s hosting of the 2007 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, was to be submitted on Tuesday.
It accuses Vice-President Gilbert Bukenya, Foreign Minister Sam Kutesa, Security Minister Amama Mbabazi and several other Cabinet members of wrongdoing.
“We are absolutely pushing for it to come out today [Thursday],” the opposition’s finance expert, Okello Oduman, said.
On Tuesday, the acting speaker announced the report would not be published, sparking a walkout by oppositions lawmakers who later tussled with police guards and damaged the door while attempting to re-enter the chamber.
The fracas prompted the speaker to suspend the session.
Ruling party chief whip Daudi Migereko said the government was not trying to block the presentation of the report.
However, the report was not presented during Wednesday’s session and the deputy speaker ordered out five lawmakers for the previous day’s incident, insisting that business would not continue until they left.
They refused to oblige and the deputy speaker ordered the sergeant-at-arms to physically remove them.
The sergeant-at-arms also refused and the session was suspended.
Some opposition figures doubt the ruling party-dominated Parliament will ever take action on the report.
“The people who are mentioned in the report are some of the most powerful people in government,” said Wafula Oguttu, spokesman for the opposition Forum for Democratic Change.
“They can’t allow that thing to be tabled in Parliament.” — Sapa-AFP