Deputy Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has threatened to name and shame MPs who neglect their own children.

"When we talk about failed parenting, it is even happening with members here in Parliament. I get complaints about failure to take care of children sired by MPs," Among said on Wednesday.

"I'm tired of counselling women who come here complaining about MPs who have failed to take care of children they sire and if MPs don't believe this, I will start naming the culprits," she threatened during the plenary session she presided over.

"Just imagine this girl is your daughter, someone impregnates and refuses to take care?" Among, who is also the Bukedea Woman MP, wondered.

She made the remarks during the discussion about the challenges facing the girl-child.
"We need a pre and post counselling arrangement for the girls who have been impregnated at a young age. We also need to know what plans the Government has for their education. We shall require a quarterly update to Parliament on the actions taken," Among said.

Previous reports

In December 2014, the then Vvura County MP, Dr Sam Okuonzi, was sent to Luzira Prison after failing to raise sh4.6m that he had earlier been ordered to pay as upkeep for his child.

He was arrested by a court bailiff and detained at Central Police Station until when he was arraigned for child neglect.

Nakawa Grade one Magistrate Jolly  Anyanga committed the 63-year-old medic doctor by profession to six months imprisonment or until such a time when he would pay the money (sh4.6m) to Rehema Namukwaya who was then seven-months pregnant with his second child.

The money was to cater for her tuition since she was a student at Mulago Premedical School.

It was also for upkeep for the child, rent, and maternity costs for her pregnancy.

Court heard from Namukwaya that Okuonzi took her to Nairobi and raped her, only for her to realize she was pregnant from the incident.

It was not the first time that Okuonzi was being sued for child neglect. In December 2013, he was dragged to Makindye Court by another woman, Sophia Nyivuru, whom he allegedly abandoned in a house at Mayanja- Salama, Makindye Division.

He had also been running a divorce battle at Kampala High Court Family Division since 2012 seeking to divorce Sarah Namubiru, his wife and mother of his four children.

Other MPs dragged to court

Other MPs who were dragged to court in the previous parliament over child neglect include Bugweri North MP Gideon Onyango.

Onyango was in September 2018 taken to Mukono Grade One Magistrate for allegedly neglecting his child.

Juliana Ayinembabazi of Bweyogere accused Onyango of failing to provide for their one and half-year-old child.

She had filed the same matter to Busia Magistrate's court in July that year.

What MPs earn

Currently, each MP is entitled to a consolidated pay of sh25m or more (subject to income tax), a one-off car grant of sh200m, a monthly gratuity of sh950, 000, which is also taxed, town run allowance of about sh1m, wardrobe grant of about sh50m or less depending on individual needs, a sh2.6m iPad, medical insurance cover of about sh5.5 per year (about sh458, 333m per month) paid to a service provider of their choice and a furnished office.

Under the consolidated pay of sh25m or more, each MP receives mileage facilitation of sh4.5m depending on how far the constituency is from Kampala, constituency facilitation of sh3.2m, a basic monthly salary of sh11.68m, which is taxed to a net pay of sh6.129m, subsistence allowance (lunch, tea, etc.) of about sh4.5m, committee sitting allowances of sh50, 000 for an ordinary MP and social security benefits of sh9m per month — (government contributes sh6m and each MP pays sh3m) to the Parliamentary Pension Fund.

Whenever an MP travels abroad for benchmarking or on official duty he or she gets $720 per day (sh2, 597m) and for inland upcountry trips, each gets sh400, 000 per night/day.