Junior planning minister David Bahati is an intelligent, amiable fellow who rarely has trouble convincing the House on matters financial, especially government loans. But last week, one tough woman nearly brought Bahati to tears.

During the debate on the Shs 6bn oil cash bonanza, several MPs stung his mother ministry of finance for accepting to sign several documents to release the money to Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) commissioner general Doris Akol. However, Bahati was quick to apologize to the House, saying it was an error which they corrected in a letter to parliament.

But the Pader Woman MP Lowila CD Oketayot was not convinced: “Madam Speaker, …..I must say that the intention of giving these rewards was based on manipulation. And I get so worried if my dear brother, Hon Bahati, gets the courage of standing on this floor of Parliament and says there was an error on the supplementary document that was laid here and my brother you are getting up now after this motion has been moved. I want to be frank and tell you that I never expected this from you, the one I know. Supposing this motion had not come, we would have processed the supplementary budget with that error.”

This irritated Bahati, who shot up on a point of order that nearly moved him to a point of tears.

“We realized that this was an error and I have apologized to the whole House,” he said. “We wrote a letter on December 17 to the Clerk of Parliament to correct the error. So, if you realize an error, correct it, apologise to the House, what more can you say? Is she in order to continue to prolong this matter yet we have already apologised and written to the Clerk?”

Apparently impressed, Kadaga did not answer; she simply gave the floor to another MP. Wolokoso is sure Oketayot and her dear David have already made up.

Banyenzaki lunch impresses MPs

Former Rubanda West MP Henry Banyenzaki is among the Ugandans hoping to join the East African Legislative Assembly – and boy he knows how to campaign.

Last Monday, he made a big statement at Imperial Royale hotel, where dozens of MPs were attending a workshop organized by the Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Social Protection.

Although the hotel is separated from Parliament by a road, the organizers announced that each participant would receive fuel of Shs 100,000. This made them very happy, but more was to come.

Banyenzaki, also a former state minister for economic monitoring, announced that lunch for the about 200 members was on him. So impressed were the MPs that they were later seen in groups praising him.

“Some of them [candidates] have been giving us only calendars and diaries at this time of lunch; you can imagine what strategy this man [Banyenzaki] has come up with. It is my first time to see him but it seems he knows to campaign,” an MP from Busoga was overheard telling colleagues.

Wolokoso did not establish whether the Honourable Banye was simply teasing the MPs or he indeed bought lunch for up to 200 of them. Either way, he reminded us that the way to a person’s vote is through their stomach.

Eala aspirant confuses MPs

With 431 MPs and still counting, the 10th Parliament is the biggest in Uganda’s history; and what is still a puzzle to majority of them is knowing which col- league represents which area or belongs to which party.

The surging numbers of East African Legislative Assembly (Eala) aspirants hunting for support have complicated matters even more.

Parliament on Thursday amended the rules for the election of the Eala members, to consider interest groups. Already at the scene was Uganda National Association of the Deaf executive director Ambrose Murangira. He is one of the over 50 aspirants, including about 30 former parliamentary candidates, who have been frequenting the precincts of parliament and now MPs think he is one of them.

“As if that man comes from western Uganda… but which constituency does he represent?”one MP from western Uganda asked a colleague from the same region.

However, the colleague was equally ignorant saying: “It’s like.., maybe he is the one for PWDs-western; but no I have remembered the other one is called [Hood] Katuramu but that one [Murangira] is I think represents a constituency in the East.”

Wolokoso pitied the MPs but at least they now know.

When cat helps mother rat and eats her babies

When the House adjourned after a day into parliamentary business the other week on January 10, many MPs were angry because of the court order which came up restraining them from questioning the Shs 6bn bonus payment to 42 public servants.

And so many were all smiles as parliament resumed business on Wednesday and their motion to investigate the oil cash bonanza came up. Among the memorable seconders of the motion was Manjiya MP JB Nambeshe, who said: “I want to use this analogy. The mother rat hired the services of the cat for a midwife. What happened to the young of the mother rat? Everyone can guess. It is akin to what has happened. These persons are the custodians of our public resources and they are the ones abusing the resources.”

The only MPs who did not laugh were probably those who were taking a nap.