By May Asujo
The war of words between Speaker of Parliament Anitah Among continues with Nakawa West MP Joel Ssenyonyi claiming his COSASE committee cannot be branded incompetent when their predecessors also did not deliver as much.
It all started in parliament this week when Speaker Anitah Among told Ssenyonyi and his COSASE parliamentary committee to be ashamed that they processed 4 audit reports out of 107 presented by the Auditor General for the year 2020/21.
“And I don’t want to say shame on us the House but shame on you COSASE. It’s you people who have failed. We have invested a lot of money in the committee but we have not got results,” she said adding that the House had six months to consider and pronounce itself on the report.” Among said during a plenary session on Wednesday.
Ssenyonyi has not taken the blame lightly ever since and has been on the defensive to prove that Among’s performance when she was in charge of the same committee was also dismal. Today, he went to Twitter and posted;
“FACT: According to records in Parliament, COSASE of the last Parliament for a whole 5 years inquired into only 9 (nine) AG reports (BOU, KCCA, REA, NITA, NCS, NAADS, UEDCL, UCC & Parliament Commission), and by the way Anita Among was incharge of that COSASE for about 3 years.” before adding;
“Meanwhile, our COSASE in just 1yr has so far produced 5 reports (CAA, Uganda Railways, Land Commission, UNRA & Uganda Airlines) &this year we’re going after more entities. When you compare 9 reports in 5 years, to our 5 reports in one year, everyone now knows who is lazy &full of shame!”
Anitah Among has already directed an audit into COSASE work but also said that parliament has no option but to adopt all the reports that are pending under COSASE because the committee headed by the Leader of Opposition has failed to produced what is expected of them.
Mr Ssenyonyi has in the recent past raised dust about Parliament’s failure to debate the reports his committee had so far handled, particularly the controversial Uganda Airlines report. He accused the Speaker of playing delaying tactics by not considering the report over unclear reasons.
Mr Ssenyonyi also queried the motive of the speaker to meet with some of the airlines officials, especially its chief executive officer, Ms Jenifer Bamuturaki who he said had been pinned by the findings of his probe.
He says the Speaker is targeting his person, very obsessed with going after him. “I’m only the chairperson of the committee (COSASE). My committee has over 70% members who belong to NRM,” MP Ssenyonyi told reporters saying instead it’s Among to be investigated for the leaked Airlines report.
“When we finished the report, we submitted it to the speaker’s office, she was the first recipient. May be she’s the one who leaked it.” Ssenyonyi said during an interview with KFM on Thursday. “The speaker has decided to sit on this report to protect the thieves in Uganda Airlines,”
The battle of words rages on.