CSOs petition Museveni over sh10b Parliament allocated itself

KAMPALA - Members of the Civil Society Organisations(CSOs), have penned an open letter to President Yoweri Museveni over sh10b self-allocation by Parliament to fight COVID-19 Pandemic.

According to organizations under their body Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG), parliament using the sh10b in any manner they deem fit, is promoting illegitimacy and undermine the prudent public finance management system.

"While the Parliament of Uganda has justified this allocation as facilitation to enable the MPs to provide oversight of COVID-19 response funds, other MPs have made public declarations that Parliament should reverse the transactions "the CSOs noted.

During the consideration of the sh304b supplementary budget for the fight against COVID-19, Parliament allocated itself sh10b.

The legislature was not among the essential sectors that had initially been budgeted for by the government to receive any additional funding for the fight against COVID-19.

In their open letter to the President, the CSOs regretted Parliament's decisions to allocate itself the funds, which they propose should be recalled to cater for other crucial areas other than oversight by MPs.

"We implore the president not to assent to the supplementary appropriation Bill 2020, but rather send it back," the CSOs stateD.
 
According to the CSOs, the response to COVID-19 requires sufficient resources which the government may not have at present.

The CSOs implored Parliament to reverse their action in case it has been disbursed to the account of MPs

Some MPs have since written to the clerk to Parliament, demanding that such monies should not be sent to their accounts. 

"Parliament should discuss with the ministry of finance, if they need facilitation for COVID-19 response, this facilitation should be justifiable and discussed in Parliament as required and resolved," the CSOs noted in their letter to the President.

To justify the sh10b to Parliament, the speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga said part of the sh10b will be used to maintain the ambulances contributed by Parliament and individuals MPs, provide fuel and pay allowances for COVID-19 task forces at the district level.

Better Options

According to the CSOs, the sh10b can have a greater multiplier effect if put to the right alternative use.

The CSOs want part of the money used to provide sh3.9b needed by Makerere University to develop quick low-cost COVID-19 test kits.

They also want the money to be used to fix funding gaps in the health sector and increase the bed capacity in health centers.

They want the money to be used to fuel the various cars at national and local levels conducting anti-COVID-19 activities and procurement of personal protective equipment for health workers at the frontline of the fight against COVID-19.