Attractive pay awaits East African legislators

By John Masaba and John Semakula

A very handsome pay could be the reason there is a flood of contestants for the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). At the moment, over 26 politicians are contesting for the nine seats.

The EALA MPs earn $3,000 (sh7.5m) per month (tax free) as basic salary. They also get per diem of $250 (sh600,000) when in session.

The lawmakers hold about four sessions a year, each lasting two weeks. That gives them about sh8.4m per session and 33.6m a year.

They are expected to spend this money on accommodation, where a good hotel goes for about $70(sh175,000) a night.

They also get committee allowance of $150 (sh375,000) per session and a return air ticket to Arusha every three months.

Besides, EALA members also have a chance to buy duty-free cars as diplomats.

Members of EALA were expected to be elected by April 15 but Uganda has not chosen members because of procedural delays. Parliament has up to June to elect them.

A member of the EALA has an edge over his colleagues in the Uganda Parliament. This is because they do not have constituents to spend their earnings on.

Several Opposition political parties like Democratic Party (DP) and Conservative Party (CP) have already picked their candidates.

DP’s nominated candidate is Mukasa Mbidde, a former UYD activist who contested the Kalungu East MP seat.

CP is understood to have endorsed former Rubaga South MP, Susan Nampijja.