Leader of Opposition (LoP) Winfred Kiiza has told fellow Members of Parliament to reject President Yoweri Museveni’s armoured vehicles.
In a letter dated June 29, President Museveni ordered finance ministry to immediately acquire a fleet of new 4 wheel-drive pick-ups with open carriage beds.
“Provide additional money for these vehicles quickly. The army will use them to guard the MPs and when the new systems are put in place, these vehicles will be given to army officers as part of the UPDF fleet,” Museveni said in his letter. The new security detail for MPs could cost tax payers over Shs80bn as each vehicle could go for more than Shs170m excluding expenditure on the armed sharp shooters.
This move has caused uproar from several opposition proponents and the latest is now LoP Winfred Kiiza who is also Kasese Woman MP.
While addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Kiiza urged MPs to reject the proposed vehicles on grounds that the tax payers could think that they are being taxed left, right and centre in order to raise money for the proposed armoured vehicles for over 450 MPs in the 10th Parliament.
“I thank Ugandans for being with us and call upon my colleagues [MPs] to reject the armoured vehicles because Ugandans will think we are taxing them so that we buy these vehicles,” Kiiza said.
She said that political leaders should side with the public who give them the mandate to represent them in Parliament.
“It is not right, good or healthy and it does not show our leadership. If we are leaders then we must go together with the people with lead. If it is security then it must be security for all of us, if it is insecurity then let us suffer together and if it is safety then let us enjoy together. Therefore, these unnecessary, uncalled for, exclusive and barbaric taxes must be rejected in the strongest terms possible,” she said.
Government has made a dramatic U-turn on revising the Excise Duty (Amendment) Tax Bill, 2018 that levied 1% tax on all transactions on mobile money and Shs200 on social media usage. The Bill is expected to be re-tabled before Parliament on Thursday for reconsideration.
