By Mary Asujo
The Minister of Security, Major General Jim Muhwezi has said that he is not aware of a plan by the Opposition remove him from office.
Muhwezi made the remarks on Wednesday while appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs chaired by the committee chairperson, Hon. Rosemary Nyakikongoro.
Mag. Gen. said that he has not seen nor received any letter to this effect.
By today, 81 Members of Parliament have signed the motion to censure the Minister of Security, Maj. Gen. Jim Muhwezi. The Opposition wants to censure the minister for allegedly abdicating responsibility in the face of torture of Ugandans by security officers.
However, with two days to the deadline of collecting signatures, Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga has revealed that only 81 MPs out of the required 176 have signed.
The Opposition in Parliament started signing a motion seeking to censure Minister Muhwezi on February 10, and the 10 working days provided for under the Parliament Rules of Procedure elapse on Thursday.
Some of the notable MPs from FDC who are yet to sign the censure motion are Kilak North MP, Anthony Akol, former Leader of Opposition Betty Aol Ocan, Dokolo Woman MP Cecilia Ogwal, Bukonzo East MP Harold Tonny Muhindo, Bukonzo West MP Atkins Katushabe, Budadiri West MP Nathan Nandala Mafabi, Kabale Municipality MP Thaddeus Nicholas Kamara among others.
Out of the total 529 MPs in the 11th Parliament, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party enjoys majority numbers with 336 MPs.
Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, the Leader of Opposition in Parliament hon. Mathias Mpuuga said that the signing is still ongoing until the expiry of the 10 working days on Thursday.
No MP from the ruling NRM party has signed the censure motion.
According to the list, out of the 57 MPs from the biggest opposition political party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), 54 have signed leaving out Jimmy Lwanga, the Njeru Municipality MP, Kawempe North MP Muhammad Ssegirinya, and his counterpart Allan Ssewanyana, for Makindye West who is currently in Kitalya prison.