MPs ask South Sudan to verify unpaid Ugandan traders

May 03, 2019

In 2010, the government of Uganda signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Sudanese government under which Uganda would compensate traders who lost property.

 
A Parliamentary Select Committee on Compensation of Ugandan traders has implored the South Sudanese Parliament and the government to establish a committee for the verification of Ugandan traders seeking compensation for the loss of property and unpaid for goods during the civil war in the country.
 
In 2010, the government of Uganda signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Sudanese government under which Uganda would compensate traders who lost property or were not paid as a result of the Civil war that broke out in South Sudan.
 
The funds would, however, be paid as a loan to the South Sudanese government. However, since then, only 10 companies have benefited from the compensation funds that amount to about $56m.
 
To sort out the anomaly, MPs such as Kampala central MP Mohammed Nsereko raised concerns to parliament about the payment, to which Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga instituted a select committee, chaired by Kyankwanzi district woman MP Anne Maria Nankabirwa, to investigate the payment by the ministry of finance.
 
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, recently told MPs that the government had in another phase approved payment of sh40b to compensate 10 companies.
 
The MPs, however, expressed dissatisfaction that they were the same companies that had benefited from the earlier payment.
 
On Tuesday, the select committee led by Nankabirwa, met with Anthony Makana, the speaker of the Traditional National Legislative Assembly of South Sudan and asked him to help the Ugandan Parliament in the verification of the rightful claimants.
 
"Parliament is interested in the payment of traders, we are ready to appropriate money but we need an agreement with South Sudan on genuine traders," she said.
 
Masaka Municipality MP Mathias Mpuuga, a member of the committee, implored Makana to use his position and push his government to verify all claimants.
 
He added; "The Parliament of Uganda is ready to clear the money for payment of these claimants, but it doubts the claimants, it is seeking for faster approval of claimants from South Sudan. We want you parliament to push the government to put up a verification committee and make the process faster". 
 
The committee will also meet with various agencies in South Sudan that were engaged in the purchase of items from Ugandan traders as per the Bi-lateral agreement of 2016.
 
On his part, Makana assured the delegation of Ugandan currently in South Sudan, that all the affected traders will be compensated as soon as possible.
 
He said that South Sudan Parliament will collaborate with the government to clear Ugandan trader's claims.
 
"As Parliament, we will be standing with you once the ministry of finance appropriates funds for Ugandan traders in the budget, we will not tamper with it, we will pass it such that traders will be paid," Makana said.
 
Despite the payment anomalies on the side of Uganda, the South Sudan government assured that it would clear the money for compensation of all affected traders.
 
Makana implored the committee to appeal to South Sudan's ministry of finance to plan for the traders' payment in the budget for the next financial year.
 
"The Ministry of Finance will table the budget before Parliament this month, so when you meet them, appeal to them to include claims for Ugandan traders in the budget, once the money is in the budget, we will approve it," Makana assured.
 
The committee is in South Sudan to meet various government agencies over the plight of traders with claims against South Sudan government for over 10 years.
 
Makana said his government which he said enjoys good relations with Uganda, is indebted to the payment of the loan, where Ugandan traders supplied food items to the South Sudanese government. 
 

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