Does Uganda have any honest politician?

 

If one was asked to mention the major common features of the successive parliaments in Uganda in the recent past, the issue of money demands in form of high salaries, allowances and other financial related demands cannot escape being mentioned. 

 

It has become a norm for every new parliamentary house to start its term in office by proposing and fixing their new salary structure, allowances and other emoluments as soon as it is inauguration. 

 

Like the 7th and 8th Parliaments, the 9th Parliament raised the eye brows of Ugandans when, after being sworn in, resolved to raise  their salaries  to sh40m each in addition to other emoluments without putting into consideration the worsening economic situation in the country. 

 

However, the performance of this Parliament in the past few months was commendable especially the sober mood it exhibited on the Mabira saga, the right to bail issue at the peak of walk to work, and its enthusiasm and efforts in fighting corruption and abuse of office that culminated into the resignation of a number of prominent cabinet ministers, the latest being the minister for General Duties in the Office of the Prime Minister, Prof.

 

Khiddu Makubuya and that of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Syba Bumba for causing financial loss to the Government in compensation to Haba Group of companies and Rhino Investments for the loss of their interests in the city markets. Such performance had endeared it to Ugandans and people had already forgotten about the sh40m salary blunder. 

 

As if to tell Ugandans that they need to be ‘rewarded’ for the work well done or to be well facilitated in order to bring down more ministers.  

 

Ugandans have been made to shoulder another burden through the Government’s allocation of sh103m to each MP from the taxpayers’ money to cater for their transport, in addition to sh40m salary for each MP per month not mentioning other allowances.

 

Which better example than this can one give in explaining the term ‘selfishness’ by our MPs for such exorbitant and inconsiderate demands when the Government has not yet met the genuine demands of the least paid but more deserving  government workers, the teachers? 

 

How ‘patriotic’ politicians can be?  The sh103m for each MP would amount to over sh39b to cover all the 383 MPs in the 9th Parliament just for transport only. What a big difference this money would make if it was invested in improving the state of our hospitals or the welfare of the teachers? Won’t there be a reasonable way of providing for MPs’ transport without making such an exorbitant expenditure? 

 

What is more surprising is that MPs have been seriously warned by their Speaker not to disclose any information concerning the car facilitation scheme to the media or risk being suspended. She is quoted to have said, “If it is an MP (disclosing information) we shall suspend the MP. If it is a member of staff, we shall accordingly take action”. Is this expenditure justifiable? If so, why do they want to keep the information secret? 

 

Secondly, where are the members of the opposition in Parliament who have always been criticizing many government expenditures regardless of whether such expenditures are justified or not? I doubt if there is any MP who is on record for having questioned the high expenditure on their salaries or this car facilitation scheme?  Won’t this tantamount to hypocrisy? 

 

Our MPs ought to realise that however much they perform in Parliament, such selfish demands at the expense of the suffering Ugandans would eclipse whatever good things they will have done.

 

 It is not at their discretion to pursue the course they want because the electorates demand them to be patriotic enough by putting the interests of Uganda above self. Whatever they choose to pursue, Ugandans are watching and they should not be taken for granted.