The confrontation took place during a plenary session on Thursday, January 13, 2025, after Bugabula North MP Maurice Kibalya revealed that the Ministry of Education had secretly carried on with the hiring process for teachers in seed schools.
Kibalya brought the matter to the attention of the House, stating that the recruitment continued while Parliament was on break.
This came despite the fact that there were ongoing investigations into corruption claims surrounding the hiring process.
"During the Christmas season, the process continued. We have yet to receive the Committee's report, but recruitment is ongoing, causing confusion among teachers and schools," Kibalya told Parliament.
When questioned by Speaker Among, Minister Muyingo admitted that the recruitment process was ongoing but attempted to defend his actions.
"It is true we advertised and people have started applying. The recruitment process is ongoing," he explained.
The Minister also argued that halting the process would have a negative impact on the operations of 115 schools, stating, "Stopping would affect the running of the schools."
However, Speaker Among was not convinced by the Minister's explanation and expressed her anger at the defiance.
"There was a complaint and a petition. How have you addressed it? You disregarded Parliament's decision," she said firmly.
The Speaker reminded the Minister that Parliament had ordered an investigation into serious allegations of corruption, bribery, and nepotism in the recruitment process.
These claims were raised in November 2024, with State Minister for Sports Peter Ogwang having confirmed that there was corruption involved in the hiring for the World Bank-funded Seed Secondary Schools project.
"You have already done it. That is contempt of Parliament," Speaker Among said, emphasizing that the Minister had ignored Parliament's order to halt the hiring process.
Her words were sharp and clear: "You have disrespected Parliament."
The recruitment was part of the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers (UgIFT) project, which had already been under heavy scrutiny.
Reports had surfaced earlier about unqualified teachers being hired for positions, and there were allegations that positions had been sold for money, further fueling corruption concerns.
In response to the Speaker’s anger, Minister Muyingo tried to downplay the extent of the recruitment, stating that only a small percentage of schools were involved.
However, this explanation did little to calm the situation. Speaker Among demanded that a full report on the matter be submitted to Parliament by the following day.
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Education