POLITICS | PARLIAMENT 
Anita Among, the Speaker of Parliament, has blocked the sacking of MP Martin Ojara Mapenduzi as the chairperson of the House’s local government public accounts committee.

On Tuesday, the Leader of the Opposition (LOP), Mathias Mpuuga, announced new changes in the leadership of one of the accountability committees of Parliament and shadow ministers.

In the changes, the Opposition dropped Bardege MP, Mapenduzi (independent), and replaced him with Gilbert Olanya (Forum for Democratic Change), the Kilak South MP, as the new chairperson of the public accounts committee (local government).

She informed MPs that she had received communication from the LOP about the developments, which she said the House needed to take a decision on, before implementing the same.

Among other things, he directed that a formal motion be tabled before the House, for a vote by the whole of Parliament, adding that the current leadership should be left to finish the pending work before the committee.

“The responsibility of this designation is vested in the chief whip." That is acceptable, but the re-designation will be by way of a formal motion for re-designation. "The motion will be subjected to approval by the House. As we wait for that, we will bring a motion, but that will be after the committee has finished the work assigned to them. For now, we are not taking the re-designation,” Among ruled.

However, in response to the Speaker’s ruling, Mpuuga, suggested that the matter be handled administratively, without subjecting it to a contest in the whole House.

Mpuuga, who is also the MP for Nyendo-Mukungwe, explained that under a multiparty dispensation, the party whips were at liberty to designate members for efficient work and all intended objectives.