I smuggled bird â€" Sebunya
Oct 14, 2005
STATE minister for agriculture Kibirige Ssebunya on Monday stunned parliament when he confessed to having smuggled a bird from Lusaka, Zambia, into the country.
By James Odong and Cyprian Musoke
STATE minister for agriculture Kibirige Ssebunya on Monday stunned parliament when he confessed to having smuggled a bird from Lusaka, Zambia, into the country.
He said he hid the bird in his bag to prove allegations that ministers and other VIPs use their status to smuggle restricted items into the country.
Ssebunya said he used his scientific knowledge to prove how disastrous cross-border transmission of animal and plant diseases could be if not checked strictly.
The revelation, however, caused protests amongst MPs including housing state minister Francis Babu, who said as a pilot he has flown many planes and that as a VIP he travels frequently but had not witnessed any smuggling.
Amid points of clarification, orders demanding for a withdrawal of the claim and an apology, MPs accused Kibirige of belittling his office of a minister and other VIPs.
Mike Ssebalu (Busiro east) urged Ssebunya to be cautious, saying he should be mindful of the diplomatic and legal implications his actions would have had on Uganda had he been arrested.
Mutebi Kityo (Mawokota south) asked Deputy Speaker Rebecca Kadaga to rule the minister out of order, saying the statement could turn Ugandan VIPs into suspects wherever they go.
STATE minister for agriculture Kibirige Ssebunya on Monday stunned parliament when he confessed to having smuggled a bird from Lusaka, Zambia, into the country.
He said he hid the bird in his bag to prove allegations that ministers and other VIPs use their status to smuggle restricted items into the country.
Ssebunya said he used his scientific knowledge to prove how disastrous cross-border transmission of animal and plant diseases could be if not checked strictly.
The revelation, however, caused protests amongst MPs including housing state minister Francis Babu, who said as a pilot he has flown many planes and that as a VIP he travels frequently but had not witnessed any smuggling.
Amid points of clarification, orders demanding for a withdrawal of the claim and an apology, MPs accused Kibirige of belittling his office of a minister and other VIPs.
Mike Ssebalu (Busiro east) urged Ssebunya to be cautious, saying he should be mindful of the diplomatic and legal implications his actions would have had on Uganda had he been arrested.
Mutebi Kityo (Mawokota south) asked Deputy Speaker Rebecca Kadaga to rule the minister out of order, saying the statement could turn Ugandan VIPs into suspects wherever they go.