Mukono Municipality MP Betty Bakireke Nambooze has attacked Prime Minister Robinnah Nabbanja for constantly skipping committee hearings where she is often needed to clarify on a number of pertinent matters.
Nabbanja on Wednesday failed to show up along with other summoned ministers, before the Government Assurances Committee hearing, which irked the Mukono MP.
“I have been told that one of the reasons that made this committee not to become so pronounced in the past parliament was because the Ministers refused to cooperate. They would invite them and they wouldn’t come. Eventually members of this committee got demoralized and also stopped coming for the meetings,” Nambooze said.
“So when it happens for the first time we say it was by accident, the second time we can say by coincidence but when it happens for the third time, then that has become a habit.”
Today’s hearing was supposed to discuss the Food Relief and Mask Distribution exercises during the March 2020 lockdown.
The Mukono MP vowed to invoke Article 90 (4) of the Constitution and other extreme measures in the event such stubbornness persists.
According to the law, committees of Parliament can summon any Minister or persons holding a public office and private individuals to appear before them or tender evidence on any subject.
The law also grants committees powers of the High Court for among enforcing the attendance of witnesses and examining them on oath, affirmation or otherwise.
