KNOW YOUR MP: Twaha Kagabo

Little was known about the Bukoto South MP Dr Twaha Kagabo (NUP) until May 2022 when he walked into Parliament carrying a briefcase containing an alleged sh40m ‘bribe’.

At first, he alleged that he had received the cash from Speaker of Parliament Anita Among (Bukedea District Woman, NRM).

However, when the political tide changed, Twaha said, it was the Speaker, the person he allegedly accused of giving him the so-called ‘bribe’, who saved him.

He described the moment as the “biggest scandal” of his life.

“I passed through a hard time which I don’t want to talk about. I stepped on a land mine.

The sh40m saga was a land mine which I stepped on and I realised later when my foot was already on it. Unfortunately, there was nobody to diffuse it to save my life. I was on it until Speaker of Parliament decided to step forward to rescue me even though she was the accused,” he said.

Twaha rose to the occasion following allegations that lawmakers had received sh40m each from the Speaker to dust off the COVID-19-related challenges.

At first, he took the money to Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga (Nyendo-Mukungwe, NUP), but he was advised by Mpuuga to return it where he picked it up.

“Although I had facts, I could not win the case. The only person who could save me was the Speaker. I was lured to refund the money by my party but after stepping on the landmine, my party could not save me from the blast,” he added.

A surgeon by profession, Kagabo said the urge to return the cash was driven by his childhood trait of being transparent in whatever he does.

However, this time around, it was a political boomerang.

“I never saw the storm ahead or what I was getting into. I thought I was just being a good doctor, doing a noble thing. My plan was to take the money to the Leader of the Opposition or Chief Whip. Nothing to mention about the speaker. I thought they would deal with the rest but how the saga drew in the Speaker, I cannot tell,” Kagabo said.

So thorny was the matter that Kagabo was referred to the parliamentary committee on rules, discipline and privileges, which is chaired by Bugweri County MP, Abdu Katuntu (Independent) to explain the genesis of the cash handout saga, which many MPs alleged was dispensed to lawmakers to pass the supplementary budget at the time, among other things.

To jump out of the politics mix, Kagabo had to go on bended knees before the Speaker and the whole House.

“A month ago, I was seen carrying money around Parliament. I request for a pardon,” he said during a stormy plenary session.

When members tried to bombard him with questions on the floor, Among quickly intervened and stopped the debate.

“The member has apologised for his actions,” Among said and ended the debate.

“I am very grateful to her. She helped me as a mother. This saga taught me how government works. I can never be extra-ordinary again because being extraordinary can bring you problems. If you want to be an extraordinary person, be ready to pay a price for it. I learnt about the behaviour of friends. The majority of them want to be there when your salary comes but during the times of hardship, they will not be there,” he said.

“We now talk. She invites me to her functions and I have peace now in Parliament. Actually, I am the happiest MP. I have learnt that after every storm, there’s always sunshine. It will never be dork forever,” he added.

Factfile

Born in 1979 to Hussein Sinijenga Sirikale and late Namubiru Salama from Kyetume village, Busubi Parish in Lwengo district, Twaha is the fourth born in a family of 27 children.

He said his father started from a humble setting, but later became a very prominent businessman in Lwengo.

Given that he had many wives, Twaha spent most of his early years with his mother in Kyazanga in Lwengo.

“I actually started making money at the age of six. I have never been poor in my life. I had money all the time because I would sell pancakes, roast maize, meat, sell firewood, do casual jobs,” he said.

For secondary education, Kagabo joined St Bernard’ Kisowera for O’level and later Masaka Secondary School for A’level.

In 2005, he joined Makerere University to study medicine, a profession he said, takes a big part of his life outside Parliamentary work.