Reported by Kerry Howard Mwesigwa
Karamoja Affairs minister, Mary Goretti Kitutu, is at risk of arrest after failing to appear before Parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee to help with the investigation into the mismanagement of iron sheets meant for the people of Karamoja. The committee has given her until 04th April to appear before the legislators or face arrest. This follows the minister’s failure to show up on two separate occasions despite being invited. If she fails to appear, the committee will invoke rule 208 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure, which allows for the arrest and confinement of uncooperative witnesses for investigation by a competent authority or cite any person for contempt of Parliament.
The Committee Chairperson, Ms Jesca Ababiku, expressed disappointment over the minister’s absence and stated that they had given her opportunities based on her request to appear before the committee. The legislators are already behind schedule in preparing a comprehensive report, which was expected to be presented on the floor of Parliament last month. The demand for the minister’s appearance comes after the Committee’s tight deadline to finalize the report.
Ms Kitutu had previously appeared before the same Committee on March 3 to apologize for the diversion of iron sheets. Last Friday, she was meant to clarify the names of the alleged beneficiaries of the roofing materials, but she did not show up. In an internal memo dated October 13, 2022, the Karamoja Affairs minister named 12 senior and junior ministers and 16 MPs from the sub-region as beneficiaries of the roofing materials. A separate hand-written list dated March 24, shows that some 172 institutions and individuals, including ministers, legislators, religious and chief administrative officers, received an average of 50-800 pieces each.
Rule 208 of Parliament’s Rules of Procedure grants the Committee the power to arrest and confine uncooperative witnesses or cite any person for contempt of Parliament. Failure to comply with parliamentary summons is a violation of parliamentary rules.
