The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Thomas Tayebwa, has fired back at explosive allegations that MPs secretly pocketed Shs100 million each as a bribe for passing the Coffee Bill and in preparation for the controversial UPDF Act amendment.
Tayebwa, while chairing Parliament’s plenary on Wednesday, made it clear that he would not entertain such claims, calling them “street talk.”
“We are responsible for what is budgeted and appropriated and only expenditures done by Parliament. That’s number one,” he said, with no hesitation.
“I will not sit here and I start legitimizing street talk. Because I’m a member of Parliament. Listen, I’m a member of Parliament. I have not received any coin, neither have I received a call from anyone who has my money. If you know you have my money, please bring it,” Tayebwa added
He shut down the rumors that have been circulating on social media.
The allegations first surfaced when Leader of the Opposition, Rt. Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, accused both NRM MPs and some opposition members of quietly collecting Shs100 million for their votes on the Coffee Bill and their expected support for a game-changing amendment to the UPDF Act.
“We’ve received credible information. NRM MPs, and even some opposition ones, are receiving Shs100 million. It’s a thank you for the Coffee Bill, and a down payment to push the UPDF Act amendment,” Ssenyonyi said
Adding fuel to the fire, he alleged that the money is rumored to have come from the Shs4.9 trillion supplementary budget passed by Parliament last month.
According to sources, NRM MPs allegedly picked up their cash from Level 4 at the Office of the President, while opposition and independent MPs reportedly collected theirs from Speaker’s residence in Nakasero.
But Parliament has also dismissed these claims. In a sharp post on X, Parliament announced:
“There are claims on social media regarding alleged payments of Shs100m to MPs. The public is advised that Parliament makes statutory payments to MPs processed by the Clerk to Parliament and reflected on their individual payslips. The Clerk has not processed any such payments.” the statement read
Chris Obore, Parliament’s Communications Director, was equally adamant:
“Ignore rumors that MPs have been paid Shs100m for passing the Coffee Bill. Whoever is alleging should respect the public by providing evidence other than propaganda. MPs receive statutory payments through the Clerk to Parliament & by way of a payslip. The rest is recycled propaganda.” he equally posted on his socials
Despite Parliament’s dismissal, the public is still buzzing with speculation as Ssenyonyi has promised to expose more
