A motion to censure the Security Minister, get Elly Tumwine has collapsed. This after the mover of the motion, Butambala County MP Mohammad Muwanga Kivumbi failed to raise the required 150 signatures to make the move.

On Tuesday 11th February, Members of Parliament started collecting signatures in support of a motion to cause the censure of Security minister Elly Tumwine which was adopted by the House on Thursday 6th February 2020.

Gen Tumwine was accused of blocking the work of Parliament when the Committee on Human Rights was probing illegal detention centres or safe houses in the country in which many Ugandans have allegedly been tortured.

Last year, the Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, instituted an investigation into the alleged torture by Internal Security Organisation (ISO) after Mr Latif Ssebaggala (DP, Kawempe North), and Kassiano Wadri, (Ind, Arua Municipality), alleged that ISO was running safe houses to torture people in Kalangala District and Kyengera in Wakiso.

When MPs visited the places suspected of being safe houses, they were blocked by security personnel.

Gen Tumwine later admitted that government was running safe houses for intelligence purposes but not torturing civilians.

After the MPs amending the Committee recommendation that had sought to ‘punish’ the minister without providing details, MP Mohammad Muwanga Kivumbi (shadow internal affairs minister), moved a censure motion under Rule 56 of parliamentary rules of procedure.