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At the spark of the #ParliamentElection2024 championed by journalist Agatha Atuheire and Dr Jim Spire Ssentongo who has history of staging online exhibitions the last one being the Kampala Pothole Expo, a lot has been unearthed in the workings of parliament and how people swim in cash.
It’s this same parliamentary Expo that unearthed facts about how former Leader of Opposition in parliament and parliamentary commissioner Mathias Mpuuga and other three commissioners shared a whooping Shs1.7bn amongst themselves as service awards.
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Figures have been shocking about how speaker Anita Among and her subordinates spend tax payers money on even activities that never took place. While other parliamentary junior staff sign millions of shillings reportedly on behalf of the speaker of parliament.
It all started two weeks ago when it was reported parliament spent over Shs500 on Speaker Anita Among and her husband Eng Moses Magogo Hashim on a short vacation in Kenya last month. This is when it came to light that the Speaker takes home a whooping $4000 (Shs.15m) per day as her per diem.
Following several complaints and revelations about the rot at parliament regarding the wastage of tax payer, the Inspector General of Government (IGG) Betty Kamya revealed that her office is taking a keen interest in parliament and some officials will be investigated.
Even the Auditor General’s report for the financial year ending June 2023 unearthed several irregulates in the pay roll and even diversion of funds to things they weren’t budgeted for. In the report AG John Muwanga reveals some parliamentary staff who receive huge payments are not even verified.
He red-flagged a diversion of Shs1.2b “irregularly diverted from the activities on which they were budgeted and spent on other activities”. The auditors, according to the report were unable to verify 39 staff employed by the commission headed by Speaker Anita Among.
“Out of 577 employees on the Parliamentary Commission May 2023 permanent salary payroll, a total of 556 (96.4 percent) were fully verified, while 21 (3.6 percent) did not show up. Out of 121 employees on the parliamentary commission May 2023 contract salary payroll, a total of 113 (93.4 percent) were fully verified, while 8 (6.6 percent) did not show up”-the report reads in part.
Also records show that the money allocated to run the Office of the Leader of Government Business, which is the alternate role of the Prime Minister, reduced by Shs1bn to Shs2.9bn. Holding a Shs945.5bn budget for the current financial year ending in June means the Parliament with MPs whose core jobs include legislating, representation and oversight spend on average Shs79bn monthly, 18.2bn weekly, Shs2.6bn daily and Shs108m per hour.
Speaking during an X (formerly Twitter) space organized by the Agora Discourse, parliament’s Director of communications and corporate affairs Chis Obore admitted that some junior staff received money on behalf of speaker Anita Among to run her errands but not for personal use since the speaker has so many things to attend to.
“Parliament is a public organ which carries out corporate social responsibility (CSR) and this money was channeled into individual accounts to cater for these CSRs, The question should be what the money for and how was it spent. Instead of just attacking, let us be fair. I don’t want to condemn Anita for investing in her community yet there are other leaders who have looted government more but did nothing”-he said
By interpretation of Chris Obore’s words, it’s okay for Anita Among to loot and divert cash to her constituency as long as she does some thing for her people than those who steal and don’t give back to the community.
Now Lubaga Division Residential City Commissioner (RCC) Anderson Herbert Bulora has called on the speaker of parliament to step aside and let an audit into how she runs the affairs of parliament especially the expenditure and wastage of tax payers money.
According to Bulora, Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) recently sent some businessmen and women to jail over tax non-compliance but it’s painful that the taxes which are making citizens to be jailed over non-compliance are spent lavishly, shamelessly and recklessly by individuals who are meant to ensure that they are well spent.
MORAL QUESTIONS.
Parliament is supposed to be the cornerstone of Public Resources Protection. Given the expenditure of Parliament in the @AnitahAmong term as Speaker, do we envision proper accountability by the same house? How shall COSASE or PAC Grill Accounting officers under… pic.twitter.com/dewhbLtVew
— Burora Herbert Anderson (@harderHB) March 7, 2024
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