Mpuuga Denies Corruption Allegations and Refuses to Resign as Parliamentary Commissioner

Mathias Mpuuga, the Deputy President of the National Unity Platform (NUP) and the Member of Parliament for Nyendo-Mukungwe Division in Masaka City, has denied the allegations of corruption and abuse of office leveled against him by his own party and refused to resign as a Parliamentary Commissioner.

Mpuuga, who is also a former Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, issued a statement on Friday, March 1, 2024, in response to an unsigned document purportedly attributed to the NUP, which called for his resignation over his involvement in a corruption scandal that has rocked the Parliament of Uganda.

The scandal, which was exposed by an online protest under the hashtag #UgandaParliamentExhibition, accused Mpuuga and three other Parliamentary Commissioners of irregularly awarding themselves Shs 500 million (about US$ 140,000) each as a ‘one-time pay-off service award’ after serving only two years in the 10th Parliament. The ‘service award’ was passed during a secret meeting of the Parliamentary Commission held on May 6, 2022 in the Speaker’s boardroom at the Parliament Building.