Kampala, Uganda — Former Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LOP) and leader of the newly formed Democratic Front (DF), Hon. Mathias Mpuuga, has once again found himself in the spotlight after being implicated in a fresh Shs 400 million “service award” controversy.
The allegations were raised by the current Leader of Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, during a press briefing at Parliament of Uganda, where he accused four Parliamentary Commissioners of secretly awarding themselves hefty payments disguised as “service awards.”
According to Ssenyonyi, the four Commissioners — Hon. Solomon Silwanyi, Hon. Esther Afoyochan, Hon. Prossy Akampulira Mbabazi, and Hon. Mathias Mpuuga — each received Shs 400 million through the Parliamentary SACCO, allegedly to avoid a clear financial paper trail.
“I have been reliably informed that the four Commissioners each received a second service award of Shs 400 million, which was channeled through the Parliamentary SACCO so as to avoid having a clear paper trail,” Ssenyonyi revealed. “This money, apparently, was intended to see them through the campaign season.”
Ssenyonyi further dismissed as false propaganda reports claiming he had also benefited from a similar payout.
“Even if they quietly send any such money to my account, I will instruct my bank to immediately return it to the sender because such under-the-table money is illegal and irregular in every sense of the word,” he emphasized.
The allegations have sparked renewed debate about accountability and financial transparency in Parliament, with many recalling Mpuuga’s earlier Shs 500 million “service award” saga that drew widespread criticism earlier this year.
That previous controversy marked the beginning of a deep political rift between Mpuuga and his former party, the National Unity Platform (NUP), led by Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, also known as Bobi Wine. Following weeks of internal conflict, Mpuuga eventually resigned from NUP and announced his own political formation — the Democratic Front (DF), which he described as a “platform for truth, discipline, and national dialogue.”
As of now, neither Parliament nor Mpuuga’s Democratic Front has issued an official statement regarding the latest Shs 400 million claims. However, political observers say the new scandal could further test Mpuuga’s credibility as he seeks to position DF as a clean and reformist alternative in Uganda’s political landscape.
