Kyadondo East legislator Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has boldly discarded Parliament’s decision to give 20 million shillings from a 10 billion shillings allocation to all MPs for the COVID-19 pandemic. Bobi Wine in a press statement says; “Parliament’s allocation of this money is not only shameful but “it is insensitive to the plight of millions […]
Kyadondo East legislator Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine has boldly discarded Parliament’s decision to give 20 million shillings from a 10 billion shillings allocation to all MPs for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bobi Wine in a press statement says;
“Parliament’s allocation of this money is not only shameful but “it is insensitive to the plight of millions of Ugandans who are facing untold challenges ranging from hunger, sickness and even death”.
The funds provided under the 304 billion supplementary budgets for different government ministries last week has attracted negative reaction from members of the public questioning the high cost of administration in the country.
Bobi Wine acknowledged that “Indeed, the government presented a supplementary budget of over 300 billion shillings to Parliament to aid in the fight against COVID19.
But said many aspects of the budget were not only luxurious, but some also seemed even dubious! Several legislators raised concerns about the allocation of huge sums of money for things like billboards, but the budget was passed without much debate.
He says An MP, just like any other able citizen can avail support to vulnerable people from their personal earnings but this money should not be drawn from the taxpayers’ money.
kyagulanyi clarified that he has not yet received this money,” he said, but “should it be deposited on his account, he will immediately order the bank to return it to the Consolidated Fund and demand that it is put to its proper purpose.”
On Wednesday, the Parliament Deputy Director for Communication and Public Affairs Hellen Kaweesa said that the 10 billion Shillings allocated to the institution for COVID-19 interventions was not for individual MPs, but the oversight work by the institution taskforce.
She explained that the parliament has instituted a 5 member oversight team to join the National Taskforce move across the country to ensure that members of the public follow measures set up concerning the COVID-19 lockdown.
These included MPs Arinaitwe Rwakajara, Francis Mwijukye, Esther Anyakun, Ayivu County MP Bernard Atiku, the Sergeant-at-Arms Ahmed Kagoye and the Parliament Doctor.
Meanwhile, the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has cautioned Members of Parliament to refrain from debating the 10 billion Shillings allocated to MPs for COVID-19.
On Thursday, Kadaga noted that this was not an issue for the Members of Parliament to explain but rather the Parliamentary Commission which is the administrative body of the institution.
