Parliament has strongly rejected allegations by Leader of the Opposition Joel Ssenyonyi that members of the Parliamentary Commission were secretly handed another round of service awards amounting to Shs 400 million each.
In a post shared on X (formerly Twitter), Ssenyonyi alleged that the commissioners — Solomon Silwany, Esther Afoyochan, Prossy Akampulira Mbabazi, and Mathias Mpuuga — had received the hefty payments through the Parliamentary SACCO, purportedly to conceal evidence of the transactions.
“I have been reliably informed that, some weeks back, the four Commissioners of Parliament — Solomon Silwany, Esther Afoyochan, Prossy Akampulira Mbabazi, and Mathias Mpuuga — received a second service award of Shs 400 million each, which was channeled through the Parliamentary SACCO to avoid leaving a clear paper trail,” Ssenyonyi claimed.
Responding to the allegations, Cris Obore, Parliament’s Director of Communication and Public Affairs, rubbished the claims, saying no such payments had been made.
“We [Parliament] have not paid any money out. If he [Ssenyonyi] believes money was paid, as a commissioner himself, ask him to provide the pay slip because Parliament pays through the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMIS). There is no way the Clerk to Parliament can pay any staff or MP, including a commissioner, without going through the IFMIS system,” Obore said.
He further accused the LoP of spreading falsehoods aimed at tarnishing Parliament’s image.
“Ask Ssenyonyi to show you a pay slip — including his own, since he loves transparency. We are really tired of people blackmailing an institution of government, an institution of the people, with lies about money,” Obore added.
Obore also dismissed claims circulating online that Ssenyonyi himself had pocketed Shs 650 million as a service award.
“He has not been paid Shs 650 million. It’s a lie. Whoever is blackmailing Ssenyonyi is an amateur. There is no way Ssenyonyi could have been paid that money,” he asserted.
The latest exchange adds to ongoing tension between the Opposition leadership and the Parliamentary Commission, following earlier controversy over service award payments made to commissioners earlier this year.