Brussels embassy leaking

By Edith Kimuli UGANDA’S mission office in Brussels is leaking and the charge’ d’affaires has moved his desk to a corner, the parliamentary committee on the Budget heard yesterday.Prof. Ephraim Kamuntu (Sheema South) told the committee discussing budgetary estimates for 2002/2003 that government should not expect much money from the non-tax sources like ministries and missions abroad when they are not facilitated.“I went to our missions in Brussels recently and its state is scandalous. The roof is leaking and our representative had to shift his table to a corner,” he said.Kamuntu also told the committee chaired by Beatrice Kiraso (Kabarole) that Uganda should have an ambassador in Belgium and not a charge’ d’affaires.“Brussels is the centre of European Union. That is where implementation of economic policies takes place. According to protocol, a charge’ d’affaires cannot talk in a meeting of ambassadors,” he said.The MPs were concerned about the statement by the ministry of Finance that only 62% of revenue expected from non-taxable sources was realised in the last financial year.Mike Sebalu (Busiro East) wondered why the money is not collected and used locally instead of sending it to Kampala and sending it back.James Mwandha (disabilities) said the law was clear that they had to deposit the collections on a consolidated fund.John Eresu (Kaberamaido) said workers in the the ministry of Foreign affairs cannot be expected to work any better because its budget was slashed and the officials share salaries.The UK recently asked Uganda to close its mission there for failure to pay its bills for utilities.