Are MPs taking over local govt roles?
Jul 11, 2007
IN April this year, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) was scrapped and then returned in June. The fund, currently amounting to sh10m, is given to each member of Parliament (MP) annually to develop their areas.
By Joshua Kato
IN April this year, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) was scrapped and then returned in June. The fund, currently amounting to sh10m, is given to each member of Parliament (MP) annually to develop their areas.
According to James Kakooza, a Parliament commissioner, the fund had been abused and lacked clear guidelines. He, however, says that measures have been put in place to check the abuse. However, according to Edward Ssekandi, the Speaker of Parliament, the scrapping of the fund was just a rumour.
CDF was initiated in September 2005 with sh10m directly paid into the MPs’ personal accounts, but the money was widely abused, leading to a public outcry that it should be scrapped. However, in May 2007, the money was again deposited into the MPs’ personal accounts. Government has spent at least sh3b on this venture.
According to a report from the Uganda Debt Network, very few of the MPs used the money accordingly. But Ssekandi says every MP has a committee of at least five people, who work on the accountability.
The last CDF was seriously abused by MPs. Most of them simply used the money for personal projects or never told their constituents about it. Even then, nearly all MPs undertake local responsibilities that must be done by local councils and the Government. This is one of the reasons for the call to scrap the fund.
MPs’ expenditure on government work
According to the Constitution, the major role of MPs is to make laws for the country and to provide checks and balances to the other arms of government. However, the nature of Ugandan politics dictates that they cannot simply sit back in Parliament. In their constituencies, MPs are not judged by the number of bills they pass, but by how many jerrycans of beer they buy as well as how many health centres, roads and schools they build.
“You know, we cannot just sit back and make laws. The only way our people can know us is when we initiate some projects,†says William Nsubuga, the Buvuma MP.
Most MPs are expected to spend money on doing programmes in their constituents, that ideally are a responsibility of the government. For instance, some MPs have bought tractors to grade roads in their constituencies and some have started poverty alleviation programmes like handing out goats, pigs and chicken to groups in their constituencies. This work is not their responsibility. They do it from their official salaries or CDF.
In Kawempe North, MP Latif Ssebagala, has been running his own CDF since 2001. He gives out at least sh20m every year to various projects in the constituency. In Bamunanika County MP Ali Ndawula used his own salary to buy tractors for farmers. In Nakaseke district, the Woman MP Rose Namayanja, is running self-help women’s projects that include giving out chicken to local women’s groups. MP Reagan Okumu of Aswa County in Kitgum has been running a scholarship scheme.
“The problem is that most of the funds supposed to cater for development in a given area do not reach their destinations,†laments Beti Kamya (MP Rubaga North). She says if these funds were doing the work they were meant to do, the role of MPs would be to simply monitor the work in their constituencies. “Because a lot of work is left undone, the population looks upon MPs to do some work,†she adds.
The trouble, however, lies with the commercialisation of politics and the total failure of legislators to explain their roles to the public. The way Ugandans view an MP is far different from what the rules say. If an MP does not contribute to weddings, construction of classrooms and churches, education of children of his campaign managers as well as giving out salt, sugar, beans and soap to residents, then he or she is not worth voting for. However vocal an MP may be in Parliament, he or she will be judged by what development projects he or she introduces to his constituency.
So for an MP to remain popular on ground, he or she has to use his or her personal salary. Incidentally, the CDF was the only money budgeted to carry out such work. MPs earn an average of sh9m per month, with additional sh500,000 for mobilisation. Over a five-year period, an MP earns at least sh300m. In addition, the Government recently gave them sh60m to acquire vehicles.
The last CDF fund was paid on the eve of the 2006 elections, which according to MPs did not only affect accountability for the funds, but also smelt of hidden motives. For example, some of them thought that the funds were intended to help them during the campaigns, rather than to do development work in their areas.
With almost 100 MPs who received the funds not returning to Parliament, accountability became a challenge. According to the Uganda Debt Network, very few MPs provided the accountability, or even bothered to inform their constituents about the existence of this money.
The timing of the last CDF was also tricky. Some thought that CDF was a kind of thank you from the Government for among others accepting to lift term limits (kisanja). MPs had passed the Kisanja a few weeks before. It is also worthy remembering that earlier, MPs who had supported the Kisanja had received sh5m, said to be for consultations.
There was also a belief that the Government had withdrawn the CDF so that MPs feel the pain and start asking for it as a bargaining chip in order to pass sensitive government programmes.
It is said that the removal of CDF fund resulted into dissent, for example, many MPs including those from the Movement, openly criticised the Government on the impending sale of part of Mabira Forest and the recent demonstrations in the country.
“I think that government strategists feared that dissent will continue in Parliament if such incentives like the CDF are scrapped. We have got a lot of responsibilities in our constituencies. For example, I told my people that I will help construct a bridge in my constituency, I have tried to lobby the authorities to do it but they have failed. I now have to use my own money to do so,†says an opposition MP. He says that because of such pressure, it would be difficult for MPs to support any government line as long as they are denied funding, which he says is why the fund was reinstated.
Given the commercial nature of politics in Uganda and the fact that MPs are not simply seen as legislators by their people but also implementers of development projects, they need some extra funding to survive.
The fact is, it is not part of their work, but some MPs are carrying out developmental projects, similar to those done by the Government. This is not only wrong because there are statutory organs charged with development but it also compromises the role of MPs as watchdogs over government programmes.
IN April this year, the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) was scrapped and then returned in June. The fund, currently amounting to sh10m, is given to each member of Parliament (MP) annually to develop their areas.
According to James Kakooza, a Parliament commissioner, the fund had been abused and lacked clear guidelines. He, however, says that measures have been put in place to check the abuse. However, according to Edward Ssekandi, the Speaker of Parliament, the scrapping of the fund was just a rumour.
CDF was initiated in September 2005 with sh10m directly paid into the MPs’ personal accounts, but the money was widely abused, leading to a public outcry that it should be scrapped. However, in May 2007, the money was again deposited into the MPs’ personal accounts. Government has spent at least sh3b on this venture.
According to a report from the Uganda Debt Network, very few of the MPs used the money accordingly. But Ssekandi says every MP has a committee of at least five people, who work on the accountability.
The last CDF was seriously abused by MPs. Most of them simply used the money for personal projects or never told their constituents about it. Even then, nearly all MPs undertake local responsibilities that must be done by local councils and the Government. This is one of the reasons for the call to scrap the fund.
MPs’ expenditure on government work
According to the Constitution, the major role of MPs is to make laws for the country and to provide checks and balances to the other arms of government. However, the nature of Ugandan politics dictates that they cannot simply sit back in Parliament. In their constituencies, MPs are not judged by the number of bills they pass, but by how many jerrycans of beer they buy as well as how many health centres, roads and schools they build.
“You know, we cannot just sit back and make laws. The only way our people can know us is when we initiate some projects,†says William Nsubuga, the Buvuma MP.
Most MPs are expected to spend money on doing programmes in their constituents, that ideally are a responsibility of the government. For instance, some MPs have bought tractors to grade roads in their constituencies and some have started poverty alleviation programmes like handing out goats, pigs and chicken to groups in their constituencies. This work is not their responsibility. They do it from their official salaries or CDF.
In Kawempe North, MP Latif Ssebagala, has been running his own CDF since 2001. He gives out at least sh20m every year to various projects in the constituency. In Bamunanika County MP Ali Ndawula used his own salary to buy tractors for farmers. In Nakaseke district, the Woman MP Rose Namayanja, is running self-help women’s projects that include giving out chicken to local women’s groups. MP Reagan Okumu of Aswa County in Kitgum has been running a scholarship scheme.
“The problem is that most of the funds supposed to cater for development in a given area do not reach their destinations,†laments Beti Kamya (MP Rubaga North). She says if these funds were doing the work they were meant to do, the role of MPs would be to simply monitor the work in their constituencies. “Because a lot of work is left undone, the population looks upon MPs to do some work,†she adds.
The trouble, however, lies with the commercialisation of politics and the total failure of legislators to explain their roles to the public. The way Ugandans view an MP is far different from what the rules say. If an MP does not contribute to weddings, construction of classrooms and churches, education of children of his campaign managers as well as giving out salt, sugar, beans and soap to residents, then he or she is not worth voting for. However vocal an MP may be in Parliament, he or she will be judged by what development projects he or she introduces to his constituency.
So for an MP to remain popular on ground, he or she has to use his or her personal salary. Incidentally, the CDF was the only money budgeted to carry out such work. MPs earn an average of sh9m per month, with additional sh500,000 for mobilisation. Over a five-year period, an MP earns at least sh300m. In addition, the Government recently gave them sh60m to acquire vehicles.
The last CDF fund was paid on the eve of the 2006 elections, which according to MPs did not only affect accountability for the funds, but also smelt of hidden motives. For example, some of them thought that the funds were intended to help them during the campaigns, rather than to do development work in their areas.
With almost 100 MPs who received the funds not returning to Parliament, accountability became a challenge. According to the Uganda Debt Network, very few MPs provided the accountability, or even bothered to inform their constituents about the existence of this money.
The timing of the last CDF was also tricky. Some thought that CDF was a kind of thank you from the Government for among others accepting to lift term limits (kisanja). MPs had passed the Kisanja a few weeks before. It is also worthy remembering that earlier, MPs who had supported the Kisanja had received sh5m, said to be for consultations.
There was also a belief that the Government had withdrawn the CDF so that MPs feel the pain and start asking for it as a bargaining chip in order to pass sensitive government programmes.
It is said that the removal of CDF fund resulted into dissent, for example, many MPs including those from the Movement, openly criticised the Government on the impending sale of part of Mabira Forest and the recent demonstrations in the country.
“I think that government strategists feared that dissent will continue in Parliament if such incentives like the CDF are scrapped. We have got a lot of responsibilities in our constituencies. For example, I told my people that I will help construct a bridge in my constituency, I have tried to lobby the authorities to do it but they have failed. I now have to use my own money to do so,†says an opposition MP. He says that because of such pressure, it would be difficult for MPs to support any government line as long as they are denied funding, which he says is why the fund was reinstated.
Given the commercial nature of politics in Uganda and the fact that MPs are not simply seen as legislators by their people but also implementers of development projects, they need some extra funding to survive.
The fact is, it is not part of their work, but some MPs are carrying out developmental projects, similar to those done by the Government. This is not only wrong because there are statutory organs charged with development but it also compromises the role of MPs as watchdogs over government programmes.