By Andrew Irumba
The Speaker of Parliament Rt.Hon.Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga has vehemently stood to her guns and re-echoed her earlier position supporting the term extension of the Bugweri County MP Abdu Katuntu-led committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) in order to finish the ‘crucial’ report on BoU over the closure and sale of seven commercial banks which he started.
This comes at the foot heels of a wide spate of ‘rope-pulling’ between the LoP Ms.Betty Aol Ochan backed up by the in-coming Cosase committee led by Kawempe MP Munyagwa Mubarak and the speaker, also backed up by majority NRM members to have Katuntu’s committee given more two weeks to finish and table their report on BoU before parliament for discussion.
While speaking to the press at his office at parliament on Thursday, the Speaker said Ms Aol was in a difficult position without any chances of implementing what she tells the media.
She said her position stands and no one can alter it, because she is the head of the institution of parliament.
“I am the speaker of the House, I am the head of this institution and my proposal is good for the institution. We’re doing this not for parties but for the good of the country,” she said.
COSASE is currently winding up its probe into the alleged illegal sale of seven commercial banks, by the Bank of Uganda, and according to the Speaker, the current leadership should continue until a report is produced.
Kadaga said it would be unfair to change leadership of COSASE at this crucial stage.
However, the FDC leadership in Parliament led by Betty Aol Ochan, the Leader of Opposition, objected to the decision claiming there were “some vested interests” in the extension.
Katuntu, who many say has done a fine job, said he was willing to relinquish the leadership of the committee,but was quick to add that rumours that he has vested interests in the BoU was a total ‘street talk’ which would not take his time.
Kadaga extended their term by just two weeks (Feb 2019) within which they are to finish the report and table it before parliament for discussion.
The closed banks include; Teefe Bank (1993), International Credit Bank Ltd (1998), Greenland Bank (1999), The Co-operative Bank (1999), National Bank of Commerce (2012), Global Trust Bank (2014) and Crane Bank Ltd (CBL) that was sold to dfcu in 2016.
