This is not the first time Parliament has come under fire over a controversial service award. In 2022, then Leader of the Opposition Mathias Mpuuga received Shs500 million which led to his eventual dismissal from the NUP party.
Kampala, Uganda: The Leader of the Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Hon Joel Ssenyonyi, has strongly refuted claims that he received a Shs650 million service award, describing the allegations as false, malicious, and part of a wider cover-up aimed at concealing a new cash payout to Parliamentary Commissioners.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday morning from his office at Parliament, Ssenyonyi said the rumor was a calculated diversion to shift public attention from a fresh Shs400 million service award reportedly disbursed to each member of the Parliamentary Commission.
According to Ssenyonyi, the beneficiaries of the controversial payout include: NRM’s Prossy Akampulira Mbabazi (Rubanda Woman MP), ex-LoP Mathias Mpuuga Nsamba (Nyendo–Mukungwe MP), Solomon Silwany (Bukooli Central MP), and Esther Afoyochan (Zombo Woman MP), both NRM legislators.
The Opposition chief alleged that the money was channelled through the Parliamentary SACCO to evade public scrutiny and accountability.
“This money was apparently meant to support their re-election campaigns. To conceal the transactions, it was routed through the Parliamentary SACCO,” Ssenyonyi said. “And to divert attention, they sent out propaganda last week alleging that I, too, received a service award. That is completely false.”
Ssenyonyi insisted that he never received any such payout, emphasizing that if any money was ever wired to his personal account, he would immediately return it. “Even if they sent such money to my account, I would instruct my bank to return it right away. That kind of under-the-table money has no place in public service,” he stated.
The LoP further accused Parliament of institutionalizing impunity, saying such secret payouts have become a “culture of corruption” within the legislature.
“What we’re seeing is deliberate misuse of public funds by people meant to uphold integrity. Instead of addressing citizens’ concerns about service delivery, they are enriching themselves behind closed doors,” Ssenyonyi charged.
He also revealed that he had lost confidence in the Inspectorate of Government (IGG), saying he would not seek a fresh investigation under the new IGG, Aisha Naluzze Batala.
“I wrote to the former IGG, Beti Kamya, about the first service award, and she promised to investigate, but never did. I will not write to the current IGG because I know nothing will be done,” Ssenyonyi said. “My duty is to hold government accountable, not to beg institutions that have failed in their mandate.”
Parliament fires back
However, when contacted for a comment on the claims, Chris Obore, the Director of Communications and Public Affairs at Parliament, dismissed Ssenyonyi’s remarks, saying, “Let him present pay slips or documents showing that the service award money was paid out.”
The allegations have reignited public anger over Parliament’s spending culture, with many Ugandans calling for greater financial transparency and accountability in public offices.
This controversy mirrors the 2022 service award scandal, in which then-LoP Mathias Mpuuga received Shs500 million, while three other Commissioners each took home Shs400 million—a move that sparked fierce backlash from the National Unity Platform (NUP) and the wider public.
Analysts say the latest allegations expose a persistent rot within Parliament’s top leadership, even as the institution continues to resist calls for external audits and financial disclosure.
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