Speaker Rebecca Kadaga can finally sleep soundly after days of pressure from the public and government to return Shs10bn allocated to MPs for Covid19 activities.
President Yoweri Museveni was reportedly angry with Kadaga and Parliament in a stormy cabinet meeting held on Monday to discuss the controversial issue of MPs’ Covid19 package, putting Finance Minister Matia Kasaija to task to explain how money had illegally been allocated to legislators without his approval.
“Who included those things in the supplementary budget? I told you those things of always allocating yourselves public resources without the interest of the public, is very wrong. The money did not pass through Cabinet. How did it go there?” Museveni asked Minister Kasaija. “This is illegal; you are not supposed to allocate yourselves resources without going through the right procedures. The law does not allow you to increase and allocate yourselves public resources.”
Although Cabinet did not make any conclusive resolutions, members had suspected that Museveni would adopt a proposal by Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa to divert the money to the Ministry of Health budget, or force all MPs to publicly return the cash to avoid soiling the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) party’s image ahead of the 2021 general election since the party has the majority in the House.
However, things changed when Museveni met Kadaga on Wednesday. In the meeting that Prime Minister Dr Ruhakana Rugunda also attended, the Speaker pleaded with the President to suggest other options of handling the issue which both leaders agreed has placed Parliament in bad light. Museveni then set a number of conditions on how the money should be spent and accounted for so that members of the public and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) do not complain.
Museveni, Kadaga and Rugunda agreed that MPs be incorporated in their respective district taskforces while those representing special interest groups, such as women, youths and people with disabilities, be included in the National Task Force. Legislators going to their districts will not require stickers but will use their official identity cards as travel documents.
MPs have also been ordered to spend the Shs20 million each has been given on interventions meant to support the national response in respective districts. They have also been directed to ensure that there is agreement with respective district taskforces on what the money should be used for.
For accountability purposes, lawmakers have been ordered to submit reports and copies of receipts to their respective Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) and deliver originals to Parliament’s Accounting Officer.
Meanwhile, after she was assured of the President’s backing, Speaker Kadaga blasted MPs Gerald Karuhanga and Jonathan Odur for attempting to use courts to undermine Parliament and upset the principle of separation of powers. She also disagreed with Attorney General William Byaruhanga who had advised that Parliament respects the court order and stays the release or expenditure of the money. Kadaga said the court order had been overtaken by events because it was issued after the money had been wired onto MPs’ bank accounts.
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