By Spy Uganda
There is pandemonium in Uganda’s Parliament after President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni directed the Auditor General to ensure that all Members of Parliament who received the Shs20M COVID-19 Money should produce accountability for the funds.
During his Tuesday night National Address on Coronavirus, President Museveni said that the act of MPs giving themselves money during the Coronavirus lockdown is not only acceptable to him and the National Resistance Movement (NRM) but also morally reprehensible.
President Museveni said that “The Shs20 million by the MPs that caused confusion. It’s bad planning but secondly, there were also legal and constitutional issues involved. It would be morally reprehensible to give themselves money for personal use when the country is in such a crisis and totally unacceptable to the NRM,” Museveni said.
“I agreed with the Speaker that they donate the money to the district taskforce where they come from, it will limit the damage. I heard that some of the MPs went and bought things. That’s not good enough. We have a purchaser. You are not government purchasing officers. I have been in the Statehouse for 34 years and I have never even bought a toilet paper. Many Ugandans are angry with this and this will be sorted out,” he added.
He thereafter directed the office of the Auditor General to ensure the MPs account for the money saying; “I agreed with the Speaker that they donate the money to the district taskforce where they come from, it will limit the damage. I heard that some of the MPs went and bought things. That’s not good enough. We have a purchaser. You are not government purchasing officers. I have been in the Statehouse for 34 years and I have never even bought a toilet paper. Many Ugandans are angry with this and this will be sorted out.”
The President noted that that the only persons allowed to purchase for the government are the Permanent secretaries, the Chief Accounting Officers, Town Clerks, Sub-county chiefs and a few others.
“For the ones who bought on their own, the question is who authorized you to buy for the state? The Auditor-General will come in and audit and say you bought badly so that we sort this. They can pay it back if they spent it wrongly.”
Following the development however, our ever alert Spy at Parliament reveals that although there are some MPs who returned the money like Robert Kyagulanyi aka Bobi Wine (Kyadondo East), Francis Zaake (Mityana Municipality) and others, there are some opposition MPs who have since remained tight-lipped about the matter.
These are MPs who have not uttered a word about whether they will return the Shs20M COVID-19 Money or will go ahead and spent it.
BETTY AOL, THE LEADER OF OPPOSITION IN PARLIAMENT AND MP GULU MUNICIPALITY HAS NOT SAID A WORD ABOUT THE MONEY. OTHERS ARE;
FRANCIS MWIJUKYE: MP BUHWEJU COUNTY AND OPPOSITION REPRESENTATIVE ON PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION
ODONGA OTTO: MP FOR ARRU COUNTY AND FDC STALWART
MUBARAK MUNYAGWA: MP KAWEMPE SOUTH DIVISION PEOPLE POWER
BETTY NAMBOOZE: MP MUKONO MUNICIPALITY DP
ALLAN SEWANYANA: MP MAKINDYE WEST
MOSES KASIBANTE: MP RUBAGA NORTH
CECILIA OGWAL: MP DOKOLO COUNTY
REAGAN OKUMU: MP ASWA COUNTY AND STAUNCH FDC SUPPORTER
JOSEPH SEWUNGU GONZAGA: MP KALUNGU COUNTY WEST DP
ABACANON GUTOMOI ERUTE COUNTY NORTH LIRA FDC
AKELLO LUCY DISTRICT WOMAN REPRESENTATIVE AMURU FDC
AKELLO JUDITH FRANCA AGAGO DISTRICT WOMAN MP FDC
AKENA JAMES MICHAEL JIMMY LIRA MUNICIPALITY LIRA UPC
AKOL ANTHONY KILAK NORTH COUNTY AMURU FDC
AKORA MAXWELL EBONG PATRICK MARUZI COUNTY APAC UPC
ALUM SANTA OGWANG OYAM DISTRICT WOMAN MP UPC
AMONGI BETTY ONGOM OYAM COUNTY SOUTH OYAM UPC
ARIKO HERBERT OKWORO SOROTI MUNICIPALITY FDC
ATIM JOY ONGOM DISTRICT WOMAN REPRESENTATIVE LIRA UPC
BABIRYE MARY KABANDA MASAKA DISTRICT WOMAN MP DP
CENTENARY FRANCO ROBERT KASESE MUNICIPALITY FDC
FUNGAROO KAPS HASSAN OBONGI COUNTY MOYO FDC
KABAZIGURUKA MICHEAL ANDREW NAKAWA DIVISION FDC
KATUNTU ABDU BUGWERI COUNTY IGANGA FDC
KASSIANO WADRI ARUA MUNICIPALITY PEOPLE POWER
MUWANGA KIVUMBI MUHAMMAD BUTAMBALA COUNTY DP
NAGGAYI NABILAH SEMPALA KAMPALA WOMAN MP FDC
OKUPA ELIJAH KASILO COUNTY SERERE FDC
SSEMPALA EMMANUEL MAKINDYE-SSABAGABO MUNICIP. DP
