Ssendaula Survives
Mar 05, 2003
IT was a good Ash Wednesday yesterday for finance minister Gerald Ssendaula. He repented for technical sins and kept his job.
IT was a good Ash Wednesday yesterday for finance minister Gerald Ssendaula. He repented for technical sins and kept his job.
John Kakande and Felix Osike write that Ssendaula sighed with relief when the MPs adopted the report after rejecting two motions one of which wanted him to be reprimanded for alleged failure to supervise the sale of Uganda Commercial Bank Ltd.
The second motion for Parliament to express displeasure with the finance minister and the Governor Bank of Uganda over the sale of the bank was also rejected.
Parliament adopted a recommendation condemning government for ignoring its resolution regarding the UCBL sale.
The MPs also recommended that Uganda Revenue Authority recovers taxes amounting to sh1.9b from Wendy Abt and Neil Curtin, the Bank of Uganda’s external financial and legal consultants.
Tempers flared during the debate but parliamentary affairs minister Felix Okot Ogong softened the ground for Ssendaula when he apologised to Parliament for the mess.
Okot said the shortcomings pointed out by the MPs, such as the superseding powers of the Bank of Uganda and the fate of the 52 UCBL branches, should be addressed.
“Where we have fallen short, the most honourable thing to do is to say sorry,†he said.
James Mwandha said the MPs were not questioning the independence of the Central Bank, but the manner in which the Governor concluded the sale without the Attorney General’s involvement.
But Ogong said, â€We must look at the broader objective of privatising the bank. It was done to make a stable and vibrant financial sector which reduces interest rates to spur investments.â€
Earlier, Salaam Musumba caused a stir when she accused ethics and integrity minister Miria Matembe of ingoring her watchdog job. “I am disappointed that she finds nothing important to say. It is a sin that the minister in charge of ethics failed to say what went wrong or was unethical about the sale,†Musumba said.
Matembe shot back. She said she was waiting to follow up the matter after final recommendations of the House are given to the Executive. Speaker Edward Ssekandi said Matembe should not be prompted by Parliament to follow up cases.
Defence minister Amama Mbabazi said President Yoweri Museveni and his family were cleared of any dealings in a DFID report he submitted to Parliament.
The report compiled by British financial experts said there was no corruption in the sale of the bank, Mbabazi said.
Ends
John Kakande and Felix Osike write that Ssendaula sighed with relief when the MPs adopted the report after rejecting two motions one of which wanted him to be reprimanded for alleged failure to supervise the sale of Uganda Commercial Bank Ltd.
The second motion for Parliament to express displeasure with the finance minister and the Governor Bank of Uganda over the sale of the bank was also rejected.
Parliament adopted a recommendation condemning government for ignoring its resolution regarding the UCBL sale.
The MPs also recommended that Uganda Revenue Authority recovers taxes amounting to sh1.9b from Wendy Abt and Neil Curtin, the Bank of Uganda’s external financial and legal consultants.
Tempers flared during the debate but parliamentary affairs minister Felix Okot Ogong softened the ground for Ssendaula when he apologised to Parliament for the mess.
Okot said the shortcomings pointed out by the MPs, such as the superseding powers of the Bank of Uganda and the fate of the 52 UCBL branches, should be addressed.
“Where we have fallen short, the most honourable thing to do is to say sorry,†he said.
James Mwandha said the MPs were not questioning the independence of the Central Bank, but the manner in which the Governor concluded the sale without the Attorney General’s involvement.
But Ogong said, â€We must look at the broader objective of privatising the bank. It was done to make a stable and vibrant financial sector which reduces interest rates to spur investments.â€
Earlier, Salaam Musumba caused a stir when she accused ethics and integrity minister Miria Matembe of ingoring her watchdog job. “I am disappointed that she finds nothing important to say. It is a sin that the minister in charge of ethics failed to say what went wrong or was unethical about the sale,†Musumba said.
Matembe shot back. She said she was waiting to follow up the matter after final recommendations of the House are given to the Executive. Speaker Edward Ssekandi said Matembe should not be prompted by Parliament to follow up cases.
Defence minister Amama Mbabazi said President Yoweri Museveni and his family were cleared of any dealings in a DFID report he submitted to Parliament.
The report compiled by British financial experts said there was no corruption in the sale of the bank, Mbabazi said.
Ends