“Only President Museveni Has The Right To Remove Me, Am Still Minister”- Namuganza.

Lands state minister Persis Namuganza, who was impeached by fellow legislators on Monday over misconduct and contempt of Parliament, says she will still carry on her duties as a member of Cabinet.

“The rules are clear: Only His Excellency the President has the right to remove me,” she said.

She was speaking on the sidelines of the Liberation Day celebrations, which were presided over by President Yoweri Museveni Thursday in Kakumiro district.

The Vote 

A total of 349 legislators on Monday voted to censure Namuganza, who also doubles as Bukono County MP, over allegations of indiscipline and undermining the integrity of the House.

Four legislators voted against it, while three abstained.

However, Namuganza says she has no plans to quit and will continue her duties until her status changes.

“The president has not written to me to say ‘You are not minister anymore’,” she said.

Kansiime Taremwa, a constitutional expert and lawyer with Signum Advocates, says unless the President removes a minister or they resign, the parliamentary resolution is at best an “official reprimand of bad manners.”

Quoting articles 116 and 118 of the Uganda Constitution, together with the decision of the Constitutional Court in Saverino Twinobusingye vs Attorney General (Constitutional Petition 47 of 2011), Taremwa said Monday’s vote is inconsequential unless the President takes action against Namuganza.

“The Constitutional position is that only the President can remove a minister from office by revoking her appointment. Fortunately, a Parliamentary resolution cannot oust a clear and unambiguous constitutional position,” he explained.

According to him, the Constitution is silent on what happens after a censure and this leaves the action of removal only in the hands of the appointing authority, who is the president.