The new administration of Parliament has indefinitely suspended the operations of Rebecca Alitwala Institute of Parliamentary Studies (RAKIPS), named after the immediate former Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga.
According to the letter dated 09/27/2021 from the Clerk to Parliament, Adolf Mwesige to the Executive Director of the RAKIPS, Mr. Charles Bwine, directing the latter to immediately cease operations over alleged financial irregularities.
“I have hereby directed you to suspend expenditure of funds and activities of Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga Institute of Parliamentary Studies until the sitting of the Parliamentary Commission expected in mid October,” said part of the letter from the Clerk to Parliament.
RAKIPS is a one-stop specialized resource centre for the training and capacity development of Members and Staff of Parliament of Uganda, Local Councils and other Legislatures within the region.
The letter copied to Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah; Deputy Speaker, Anita Among and the Leader of Government Business and Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, is titled “irregularities and illegalities in the finance of Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga Institute of Parliamentary Studies”.
The Clerk to Parliament, without giving details, said in the letter that he has received “reliable” information concerning misuse of funds in the institute.
“I have reliably received information that money received inform of subvention (government money) are being used in illegal activities,” he said.
The Clerk also stated that RAKITS doesn’t have the powers to independently manage its votes.
The revelation comes exactly one year, 5 months and 4 days since President Museveni assented to the Bill establishing RAKIPS, a one-stop specialized resource centre for the training and capacity development of Members and Staff of Parliament of Uganda, Local Councils and other Legislatures within the region on April 23 2020.
The RAKIPS first started in 2012 as a department in Parliament under the name, Institute of Parliamentary Studies.
In 2020, the Institute was established by an Act of Parliament as a semi-autonomous body.
The suspension of funding for the institute also comes just a few months after the transfer of senior administrators in Parliament thought to be loyal to Kadaga.
