Being MP a big burden in Uganda - Otafiire

By Moses Mulondo

JUSTICE and constitutional affairs minister, Kahinda Otafiire, has expressed dismay over the burdens people impose on their MPs, saying it makes life hard for them.

The minister made the remarks on Monday while appearing before the legal and parliamentary affairs committee.

Before the committee meeting kicked off, Otafiire had a casual interaction with the MPs in the course of which he expressed abhorrence over the way people in their constituencies burden them with various problems ranging from personal problems, religious activities, fundraising activities and burial arrangements.

“When you're an MP, you become a judge, lawyer, political leader, chief fundraiser, and many other things. You become everything. Churches call you to fundraise for construction. Someone loses a relative and calls you as if you are the one who killed the person. No wonder the attrition rate is so high,” Otafiire grumbled.

As Otafiire was accentuating the above point, Budama North MP interjected saying, “You actually become the ATM machine for the constituency.”

The attrition rate for MPs is about 65%. This implies that about 65% of incumbent MPs fail to make it back to parliament in the next election.

Otafiire, who is a long serving Ruhinda County MP in Mitooma district, said in the celebration of the last Eid, he gave a bull to each of the 54 mosques in his constituency for slaughter.

Otafiire’s remarks are a confirmation of the reality that politics in Uganda is greatly commercialized.

During the 2011 general elections, both international and local observers concluded that the elections had been massively commercialized laden with a lot of bribing voters in exchange for votes.