Don’t Buy Sh5.8b Plots For VP â€" MPs

PARLIAMENT has asked the public service ministry to halt plans to buy three plots for the proposed residence for Vice-President Speciosa Kazibwe, reports John Kakande and John Odyek.In its report adopted by Parliament yesterday, the committee on public service and local government headed by Beatrice Byenkya, said the sh5.8b, which the Government intended to pay for the plots, was exorbitant. The plots, 2 and 4, are on Kagera Road while Plot 5 is on Katonga Road. Byenkya said the public service ministry was asked “to halt any actions directed towards the procurement pending further consideration.”Byenkya, who presented the report, told the House that sh91.2b was computed as gratuity arrears for 37,000 ex-servicemen of various categories but there was not a single coin allocated in the budget this financial year.She said as of June 30, the pension arrears totalled sh103b. The Government had only paid sh14.4b to 3,549 pensioners who were born before 1930. And only sh6b was allocated this financial year for pensioners, leaving a deficit of sh82b.MP Philip Ntacyotugira (Bufumbira West) deplored the suffering the pensioners were subjected to. He urged the Government to decentralise the processing of gratuity and pensions. Mike Sebalu (Busiro East) urged the Government to clear the pension arrears quickly before “the pensioners go to meet their Creator.”Margaret Baba Diri (disabilities) asked whether the sh5.8b quoted for the plots of the proposed residence of the Vice-President was inflated. She said the figure was exorbitant.Winnie Byanyima (Mbarara Municipality) said the widows and orphans of the deceased soldiers were subjected to a lot of suffering to get the death gratuity.She cited recent press reports that said children of a UPDF Major who died about a month ago had dropped out of school.Byanyima criticised the Government, saying it had reserved for itself the most lucrative sources of revenue and left local governments to unpopular taxes such as graduated tax.Ends