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Ibrahim Ssemujju
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Parliament
Uganda’s Parliament was sharply divided on Tuesday as only 18 out of 59 MPs on the Budget Committee signed off on the Shs4.255 trillion supplementary budget, paving the way for its approval. The majority of those in favor belonged to the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), with Maxwell Akora (Maruzi County) of the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) being the only opposition MP to endorse it.
Minority report sparks heated debate
While the majority report recommended approval, Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda stood alone in opposition, authoring a minority report that urged Parliament to reject several contentious allocations.
Ssemujju opposed the approval of:
One of Ssemujju’s most explosive revelations was that State House's budget would soar to Shs1.053 trillion if the additional Shs367 billion was approved. Breaking it down, he claimed this would translate to:
Fury over Museveni’s image in minority report
The controversy deepened when Ssemujju included images of President Yoweri Museveni and First Lady Janet Museveni in his report, a move that sparked backlash from MPs across the aisle.
Speaker Anita Among criticized Ssemujju’s approach, urging him to focus on facts rather than personalities.
“It is just out of courtesy and respect for you to present your report without bringing in pictures,” Among remarked. “If we allocate money to Parliament, are we allocating it to Speaker Among? No. The same applies to State House—it’s an institution, not an individual.”
Speaker Among
NRM ministers demand report be expunged
Several NRM ministers and MPs took issue with Ssemujju’s suggestion that State House funds directly benefit President Museveni personally.
Stephen Kangwagye (Bukanga County) emphasized the distinction:
“There is a very big difference between State House and President Museveni. The funds allocated to State House are meant for its operations, just like an MP is facilitated to serve their constituency.”
Stephen Kangwagye
Minister of State for Sports Peter Ogwang defended the allocation, arguing that funding the Head of State’s office is a constitutional obligation.
Peter Ogwang
Chris Baryomunsi, Minister of ICT and National Guidance, called for parts of Ssemujju’s report to be deleted from Parliament’s Hansard, citing defamatory and unparliamentary language.
“While Ssemujju has the right to present a minority report, Parliamentary Rules require decorum. The Speaker should order that defamatory, indecent, or objectionable words be removed from the official record.”
Chris Baryomunsi
What’s next?
Despite Ssemujju’s passionate objections, the Budget Committee’s majority report has set the stage for Parliament to approve the supplementary budget. However, the debate over State House spending, transparency, and accountability is far from over.
As Parliament prepares to vote, the sharp divisions within the House highlight the growing tension over public expenditure and executive privileges in Uganda.
Torch Media Africa
