The Leader of Opposition in Parliament Hon Mathias Mpuuga has implored Parliament to institute a law that provides for people at retirement age to be discontinued from public service.
Mpuuga made the remarks while paying tribute to the fallen Bank of Uganda governor Mutebile Tumusime in Parliament. Parliament on Thursday moved a motion to honor the deceased, Prime Minister, Hon Robinnah Nabbanja moved the motion for his dedicated service to Uganda. The motion is seconded by the Hon Mpuuga.
Mpuuga stressed that government officials who have reached the retirement age should be banned from public service and reconsider particular provisions that plunge them into that stress.
“Our senior citizens who have served this country with distinction and honor deserve to retire honorably. This House owes our citizens a law that bars people who have reached retirement age from continued stress of public service,” Probably the law would have lived more days if he had been allowed to retire because he had played his part with honour .
Mpuuga also asked the government to fix the health sector so that people are not forced to seek better medical services abroad.
“The practice of seeking treatment in neighbouring countries is not fair to citizens, People have entrusted us with the privilege of sitting here to fix the broken health sector.” he said
In his tribute to the late Mutebile Mpuuga also described the deceased as the right man with the right credentials who rose on account of his competence that helped cushion our economy from a state of near collapse in the early 1990s
“Mr Mutebile without fear attributed the Inflation & exchange rate depreciation of 2011 to the election cash bonanza.” he added.
He said the deceased leaves Uganda choking on a public debt o f5.8 trillion with 4.05 trillion being interest.
Mpuuga described the deceased as a daring and honest man who disagreed with the government on certain stands as he states below;
“In 2011 he disagreed with the President over a decision to spend 470 million dollars on six fighter jets that led to a run down on the stock of foreign reserves from six to four months of import cover. Ministry of Defence under the orders of the President withdrew 400 m overnight without parliament’s approval, Mpuuga stated
He adds; “Mutebile attributed the Inflation and depreciation in 2011 to the election cash bonanza in which NRM leaders broke into the Central Bank to buy votes .After which city traders were closing shops for weeks in a strike protesting against escalating dollar price, Mutebile admitted that this money was used for electioneering and promised that next time he would not allow it.“
Prof Mutebile was admitted to the hospital on December 31, 2021 after he suffered complications related to diabetes. He had been in and out of hospital in recent years for the same complications.
He has had the longest career as a bank governor not only in Uganda but Africa as well. He was appointed by President Yoweri Museveni in January 2001, and was re-appointed for a second five-year term on January 1, 2006. In November 2010, he was re-appointed for a third five-year term, effective January 12, 2011. In December 2015, he was re-appointed for a fourth five-year term, effective January 12, 2016.
Recently, President Museveni again reappointed Mutebile to another five-year term, effective Jan. 13, 2021. He had a reputation for economics, fiscal discipline.
He introduced economic policies that were adopted by the Uganda government and the Central Bank during the 1990s and the first decade of the 2000’s.
During his tenure, Mutebile spearheaded the design and implementation of the economic reform programme that restored Uganda from the economic crises of the 1970s and 1980s. This was after dictator Idi Amin’s brutal nationalization policies battered the economy.
Compiled by Zainab Ali
