Parliament slams doors on defeated, jobless MPs

The plenary session of the 12th Parliament presided over by Speaker Jacob Oboth-Oboth. Photo | Ibrahim Kavuma

Several former MPs who lost their seats in the January elections unsuccessfully sought employment in the Parliamentary Service, the Clerk to Parliament has revealed.

Mr Adolf Mwesige told this publication that while a number of former MPs formally applied for positions within Parliament, none of their applications was approved.

“Some former MPs expressed commitment to join the Parliamentary Service, in writing, but their application was not considered. It is not true that former MPs were given employment here; you can even check on our payroll, they are not there, but for expressing interest, they did,” Mr Mwesige said.

Mr Mwesige, who also serves as Parliament’s Accounting Officer, said the applications were submitted before investigations into Parliament’s former leadership led by Anita Among, were launched. Without naming the individuals involved, he said only one former MP currently works within the Parliamentary Service after being appointed on the advice of President Museveni.

“We only have one former MP who was employed on the advice of the President. He had previously worked in the Parliamentary Service before becoming a legislator and is a full-time member of staff,” he said.

The clarification follows reports circulating on the social media platform X alleging that Parliament had recruited several former MPs who lost in the January elections into positions within the Office of the Speaker.

According to the claims, some of the alleged beneficiaries were allies of former Speaker Among and had reportedly been assigned roles in the Executive Secretary’s Office, Research Directorate, Protocol Office, Hansard Department, Clerk’s Office, and consultancy units.

Mr Mwesige dismissed the reports as inaccurate, insisting that the individuals mentioned were not employees of Parliament.

“All the people being talked about have never been staff of Parliament. What I can confirm is that some former MPs—not necessarily those being named—expressed interest in joining us,” he said.

“The Rules of Procedure apply to the Speaker even when he is still or out, and it protects me and prohibits me from speaking in anticipation. I don’t know what you are talking about…Daily Monitor, [please] give me [an] opportunity to reset Parliament back to the factory mode,” he said.

He added, “The Clerk must be having more details than me because I am still new there, I kindly ask you to call the Clerk.”

The controversy comes amid heightened public scrutiny of Par