The Speaker of Parliament Rt. Hon Anitah Among has bought 500 Iron sheets to replace the batch she received from the Prime Minister’s office in order not to shame the parliament she heads.
The iron sheets were part of relief items meant for the under-developed and conflict-stricken Karamoja sub-region.
In her statement on Wednesday Afternoon, Ms Among told MPs she returned the 500 iron sheets after they were “wrongfully allocated” to her constituency in Bukedea by the OPM.
The speaker explained that she was not aware that the sheets belonged to Karamoja people and that when she received hers, she sent them to be distributed to schools in her district.
She, therefore, did not want to be accused of grabbing relief items meant for the vulnerable people of Karamoja, thus returning the 500 sheets she obtained in the bonanza.
Among also said her decision was intended in part to cleanse the image of the parliament that she leads.
Jon Baptist Nambeshe, the Opposition Chief Whip in Parliament applauded Ms Among for her action and said she has shown how remorseful she is and leading the house by example.
Among was among the government officials who controversially received iron sheets purchased with an Shs 39 billion supplementary by OPM to benefit residents of the Karamoja sub-region affected by the government disarmament program.
Others including the Minister for Karamoja Hon Mary Goretti Kitutu, and several Cabinet Ministers, Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and Vice President Jessica Alupo are currently facing a joint investigation led by Police and the State House Anti-Corruption Unit
The timing of Among’s decision to revert the iron sheets comes at a time when President Museveni is expected to address the Parliament tomorrow (Thursday) at Kololo ceremonial grounds in Kampala.
The President last week in a high-profile cabinet meeting directed PM Nabbanja to table a report on the mismanagement of relief items meant for Karamoja.
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