MPs' car cash on their accounts

 
By Joyce Namutebi      
 
Money for facilitating the remaining new Members of Parliament acquire vehicles will be on their bank accounts this week, reliable sources have said.

Each new MP is being given Sh103m as facilitation. Source, quoting Parliament staff, said the money is expected to be on their accounts by Tomorrow (Tuesday).

The first group of over 90 new MPs has already received their money, according to sources.

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.

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.

During the Eighth Parliament each MP got Sh30m for a vehicle while in the Seventh, each MP got Sh20m.

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.

However, early in the month, the Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga clarified that MPs Parliament had not received the Sh103m facilitation for their vehicles as reported by some sections of the media.

She said she was shocked to see reports that MPs had received Sh103m each for their vehicles.

Kadaga, who was responding to an inquiry by Matthias Kasamba (NRM), indicated that that neither she nor any other MP had received the money.

Kasamba had wanted clarification from the relevant ministry as to when money was paid to MPs. He noted that there has been a lot of speculation as far as MPs vehicles were concerned.

The Speaker confirmed that the Parliamentary Commission has been engaged in negotiations with government for a long time to see that MPs are facilitated to do their work.

Citing the fact that Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and district chairpersons have cars while DISOs have motorcycles, she stressed that MPs must be facilitated. She also said that LCs were supposed to get bicycles.

"What has been the problem is the state of the economy. That is why members have not been facilitated." She said would support them get their cars when the situation improves.