Who oversees the overseer?

Oct 17, 2009

Parliament’s budget keeps increasing year after year. Two years ago, the MPs gave themselves a rise in fuel allowances amounting to sh7.7b. This financial year, they have awarded themselves an additional sh2m each for constituency allowances, or an extr

Parliament’s budget keeps increasing year after year. Two years ago, the MPs gave themselves a rise in fuel allowances amounting to sh7.7b. This financial year, they have awarded themselves an additional sh2m each for constituency allowances, or an extra sh7.6b.

An average MP now earns sh14.5m in salary and allowances after taxes. This is more than the net pay of MPs in rich countries like Finland, the Netherlands and Belgium. The number of MPs also keeps going up – from 80 at independence in 1962 to 332 in today’s Eighth Parliament. Uganda has more MPs than neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania which have larger populations.

Parliament expenditure this financial year stands at sh122b. This is the equivalent of the combined Government budget for four ministries - tourism, trade and industry; social development; ICT; and lands, housing and urban development.

Yet, MPs perform far below the targets they set for themselves. They are supposed to pass an average of 31 bills, 34 motions and 19 reports per year. However, in the last two financial years, they passed only 58% of the target number of bills and issued less than half of the reports. A total of 41 urgent bills have been presented to Parliament and are awaiting debate and approval, and many committee probes have never culminated into a report.

It is time we questioned the principle of MPs determining their own pay and allowances. The principle defeats their very role of ensuring performance and accountability of the Government. It also undermines their authority as the overseer of public expenses.

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