MPs bag sh103m each for vehicles

By Joyce Namutebi    
        
NEW Members of Parliament have started receiving sh103m each for purchase of vehicles.

There are over 170 new MPs. This means that government is to part with over sh17.51b for vehicles for the MPs.

The money is being given out alphabetically and in phases, sources said on Monday. About 90 MPs have so far received their money through their bank accounts.

Sources said that the next lot is likely to get their money around mid this month.

The Parliamentary Commission had been planning to raise a budget for Land Cruiser Prados, sources said. The vehicles are meant to facilitate MPs especially in their constituencies.

However, it was not clear whether MPs who were in previous Parliaments and ministers would subsequently get the money.

Recently, Parliamentary Commissioner, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi denied knowledge of such an undertaking. “Noting has come yet,” he said when contacted.

He admitted that there was a lot of anxiety from the MPs, but pointed out that the Commission was still in negotiations with the Ministry of Finance over issue.

He revealed that negotiations had started, but the parties agreed to wait for inflation to come down before payments were effected.

An MP who is heading one of the parliamentary groupings confirmed that some new MPs had received the sh103m.

Asked whether this was the amount that the MPs requested for, a source said that determination of the amount had been left to the commission.

During the Eighth Parliament, each MP got sh30m for a vehicle while in the Seventh, each MP got sh20m.

The system of giving each MP money to buy his or her vehicle started way back in the Sixth Parliament with the new constitution where MPs were given the mandate to determine their emoluments.

“A member of Parliament shall be paid such emoluments, such gratuity and pension, and shall be provided with such facilities, as may be determined by Parliament,” Article 85 of the Constitution states.


Last year, media reports said MPs had reportedly agreed to increase their salaries from sh15m to sh19m and buy cars, each at sh190m.

Since the beginning of the 9th Parliament, sources said the MPs have been putting the commission under pressure to give them money for cars, with majority complaining that they were tired of using boda bodas to Parliament. Several MPs had reportedly resorted to getting loans to purchase cars.