High Court Blocks Shs10Bn COVID-19 Money For MPs

By Andrew Irumba

The High Court Civil Division in Kampala has issued an injunction stopping the Parliamentary Commission from dispensing the Sh.10Bn to Members of Parliament, which is meant to help them fight the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19)  in their respective constituencies.

The injunction  was issued after Ntungamo Municipality MP Gerald Karuhanga and Jonathan Odur, the Erute North MP,  filed a petition in court on Monday, praying to court to block the money.

In the Petition filed against the Parliamentary Commission and the Attorney General, Karuhanga and Odur contend that giving the said contentious money to MPs during this COVID-19 lockdown is not only unfair but also illegal, because it is tantamount to corruption and looting state resources   

The injunction which was issued by the High Court barring the Parliamentary Commission from disbursing the money to MPs, reads in part thus;

This Application coming on the 21^st day of April 2020 for hearing before the Honorable Lady Justice Esta Nambeya in the presence of David FK Mpanga, Counsel for the Applicants and Sitna Cherotich, Counsel for the 1^st Respondent, and upon hearing arguments of Counsel

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED as follows;

1. Miscellaneous Application No 179 of 2020 for a temporary injunction be and is hereby set down for hearing on 29^th April at 11:00Am.
2. That until the hearing and determination of Miscellaneous  Application No 179 of 2020, the status quo pursuant  to paragraphs 16, 17, 18 and 19 of the Affidavit of Gerald Karuhanga sworn  in support of this application be maintained i.e the monies in the sum of the UGX10,000,000,000 (Uganda Shillings Ten Billions) appropriated to the 1^st Respondent under the impugned amendment to the report of the Budget Committee in Supplementary Expenditure Schedules No. 2 Addendum 1 and 2 for the FY 2019/2020 remain undistributed  until the determination of Miscellaneous Application  No. 179 of 2020 or if already paid, the Members of Parliament are ordered not to dissipate or spend the same until the hearing and final determination of Miscellaneous Application No. 179 of 2020 or until further orders of this Honorable Court.”