The Deputy Speaker of Parliament Jacob Oulanyah on Friday handed over Shs20 million to Omoro district task force for coronavirus (COVID-19).
The money was part of the controversial Shs10 billion government supplementary budget allocated to Parliament as facilitation to the lawmakers to conduct public awareness among their constituents about COVID-19.
Oulanyah handed over the money to Nicholas Ogwang, Chief Administrative Officer – CAO from Lalogi Health IV. He explained that he handed over the money in respect of the directive given by the President and the guidance by Parliament.
“In line with and respect to the directive given by H.E Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and guidance by Parliament, I handed over the Shs.20m to Omoro District COVID-19 Taskforce today at Lalogi HC IV, ” Oulanyah said in a tweet on Friday.
While delivering his 12th Coronavirus address at State House Nakasero in Kampala on Tuesday, President Yoweri Museveni publicly distanced himself from Parliament’s controversial Shs10bn Covid19 package that has since earned the House public ridicule.
“That Shs20m is bad planning because we had already planned in a certain way. It is morally reprehensible for MPs to give themselves money for personal use when the country is in such a crisis; and totally unacceptable to me and to the NRM,” said Museveni.
“When I met with the Speaker, I told her they should get out of that trap and the best way to do it is by not spending this money on themselves. I agreed with the Speaker to donate that money to the district task forces.”
And hours after Museveni’s address, the High Court in Kampala also made its ruling on the application filed by Ntungamo Municipality MP Gerald Karuhanga challenging the manner in which the allocation was made.
On April 29, Justice Michael Elubu ruled that those who didn’t want the money should return it to the Parliamentary Commission (which has decided that the returned money will now be sent to the MPs’ respective districts) while those who had accepted it should take it to the taskforces.
However, following the President’s statement and court directive, Speaker Rebecca Kadaga on Thursday came out to accuse the judiciary and executive of attacking the legislature, something she said she wouldn’t accept.
“We are concerned that we are being attacked by the Executive and we are going to take appropriate action on that issue as well. We are three arms of government, we all have responsibilities under the Constitution and we are carrying out responsibilities. So there should be no interference in our work as long as we follow the Constitution,” she demanded during a press conference.
She urged lawmakers not to panic and to only follow the guidance she offered concerning the expenditure of the Shs20 million that each of them received.
“The guidelines I gave follow the National Audit act and the rules of procedure. So how will they account to the Judiciary?” Ms Kadaga questioned.
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