|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Last year members of parliament both from the Right Wing (NRM) and the left wing (opposition) in the house passed a supplementary of about Shs618 billion which was tabled before them for approval and passing. In appreciation, they received Shs40m as a token for saying YES to such huge and supplementary spending by the Museveni government.
Reports indicated that these received this cash from different pick up centres but majority picked it from speaker Anita Among’s home. Opposition MPs especially NUP got divided with some opting to return it and others deciding to keep it since it was a God given chance they welcomed with two hands. Majority didn’t return it claiming it would be suicidal to return it since it would draw them in the corridors of corruption to be subjected to investigations by the IGG.
AD: FOR WORLD CLASS WEB HOSTING, WEB DESIGNS AND DOMAIN NAMES, CALL OR WHATSAPP +256758201313
One brave MP Dr Twaha Kagabo represent Bukoto South in Lwengo district who tried returning this money openly received condemnation and was arrested, sent to IGG for investigations as even those who gave him that money turned their backs on him and tasked him to reveal who bribed him with this Shs40m. Kagabo’s woes would later be resolved with charges dropped and has since crossed to Muhoozi’s MK movement. Kagabo was ordered to apologize to speaker of parliament and the house for breach of rules and for returning the Shs40m openly which he received secretly.
Just like last year, parliament passed a Shs3.5 trillion whose expenditure is going to support the Agriculture sector, digitizing the entire country, Museveni’s office and state house among other expenditures including a stimulus package to support Artists. According to reports, this supplementary included a Shs50billion which is now going to wet the beaks of Ugandan MPS for passing this budget.
All would have been well if the money was available in the treasury but to add trouble to the tax payer, this money is going to be borrowed. Not to be borrowed from foreign lenders like African Development Bank, China’s Exim Bank, World Bank or International Monetary Fund (IMF) but from local banks. Politicians and Ugandans who understand the dynamics of such have warned government against borrowing such huge money from local banks.
Speaking at NUP’s presser at Makerere Kavule, principal Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu warned his party legislators to reject this evil money which he says puts their honesty for the struggle at stake. Muhammed Muwanga Kivumbi who sits on the budget committee of parliament says, they raised a red flag for this supplementary as it’s going to choke the tax payer more and add on the misery of Uganda’s public debt which now sits to around Shs80trillion.
“Shs100million for each Member of parliament, let me first remind Ugandans that sad as it is, the 3.5trillion is going to be borrowed. So they are going to borrow 3.5trillion to spend on things that are not so critical to the welfare of Ugandans for which the president [Bobi Wine] has talked about and it’s not going to be borrowed abroad, it’s going to be borrowed internally. This will also mean that the very people who steal our money are the one’s going to lend us that money and earn a profit….”-revealed Muwanga Kivumbi.
On his part, Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu says he will keep telling the truth and not hide any information from the public as long as it concerns the extravagant and corrupt manner of misusing government money.
“Imagine 55.6 billion just going to MPs as a bribe, i want to use this opportunity to warn our MPs that we know about this and we have broken the news to the population. I have said it many times and i will say it today that i will tell the truth and i will not defend or protect any body that gets involved in this grand theft. With the way our taxpayer’s money is used now, you know why our roads are in such a bad state, you know why our schools are in such a sad state, now you know why the regime wants to silence us and now you know why the regime is bringing all manner of diversions in order to cover up for that”-a visibly furious Bobi Wine said.
Over the years, parliament has been a concert of bribes politely called tokens and appreciations whenever something is passed that either consolidates or is a line of survival for the Museveni government. While passing the controversial Age-limit amendment bill in 2017, members of parliament especially from the NRM received huge cash for supporting the removal of the age-limit which gave survival of the Museveni presidency.
If you have an a story in your community or an opinion article, let’s publish it. Send us an email via ultimatenews19@gmail.com or WhatsApp +255769138299
