MPs Award Selves 4.7m/-

Oct 30, 2001

MEMBERS of Parliament yesterday awarded themselves and ministers a generous payrise.

BY Richard Mutumba and Joyce Namutebi MEMBERS of Parliament yesterday awarded themselves and ministers a generous payrise. Under the motion passed unanimously and without debate, an MP will now earn sh4.7m, up from sh3.5m. This excludes sitting and mileage allowance. The MPs will also get sh20m each as government contribution to their transport facilitation and a gratuity of 30% of the annual salary. The Parliamentary Commission is to manage the scheme. The motion for a resolution of Parliament on determination of MPs’ emolument was moved by state minister for finance Isaac Musumba and seconded by state minister for housing Francis Babu. The well-attended House received the motion with excitement. Under the new salary scale which takes effect tomorrow, the Speaker will receive a taxable consolidated monthly salary and subsistence allowance of sh6.55m. The Speaker’s salary has not been increased, Musumba said. The deputy speaker will earn a taxable consolidated package of sh5.97m, while MPs who are also ministers will take home sh4.58m. Musumba said the increment is “too small” to affect the Treasury. “We expected this because MPs could not continue earning what members of the Sixth Parliament were earning. We were therefore prepared,” he said. MPs were all excited and many did not want to comment on the matter. “You pressmen, try not to exaggerate things. This is nothing,” a legislator, who sought anonymity, said. The scale now pushes an MP’s monthly salary to sh1,461,000; a mileage of sh1,042 per kilometre on marram and sh868 on tarmac and a subsistence allowance of sh104,000 from sh80,000. An MP will also get a monthly constituency mobilisation allowance of sh150,000 and sh200,000 for special interest group MPs. Members will also be paid sitting allowance for committee meetings varying from sh10,000 for members to sh15,000 for committee chairpersons. The Government also agreed to pay sh20m as contribution to each member’s transport scheme or purchase of a vehicle. Members of the Sixth Parliament were given sh18m. Musumba, however, said MPs will have to pay the taxes for the vehicles. The motion also said MPs who are ministers will get a consolidated subsistence allowance of sh3.12m per month, with a gratuity of 40% for ministers, Speaker and deputy Speaker. The Speaker and deputy Speaker will receive a taxable consolidated monthly salary of sh3.43m and sh2.85m respectively. The two will also receive a monthly consolidated subsistence allowance of sh3.12m. Ends

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});