Amnesty commission needs sh4.6b for rehabilitation

By Umaru Kashaka

The Amnesty Commission requires an extra funding of sh4.6b to rehabilitate and reintegrate the backlog reporters if sustainable peace is to be realized, the internal affairs minister, Gen Aronda Nyakairima, has said.

He said this while presenting the ministry’s budget framework paper for financial year 2014/15 to the defence and internal affairs committee on Wednesday.
 

The minister noted that the commission had contributed widely to the realization of peace for development in Uganda through encouraging former combatants (reporters) to give up rebellion and settle in their communities.
 

“The resettled reporters and affected communities are provided with skills in the fields of agriculture, metal fabrication, tailoring among others to enable sustainable living towards economic development,” he told the committee chaired by Kigulu South MP, Milton Muwuma.
 

Nyakairima, however, noted that the Amnesty commission might not continue to monitor reporters who have been settled in the communities due to lack of funds.
 

He said the projection for financial year 2014/15 had remained at sh10.878b excluding taxes, something he said places the ministry at the worst condition given the existing demands.
 

“In real terms, there was no increase in the budget despite the many requests to the ministry of finance,” he added