Speaker of Parliament Hon. Rebecca Alitwala Kadaga has come out strongly to question a Court order which barred Parliamentary Commission from disbursing funds- shs 20 million- to every lawmaker.
The money according to Kadaga was to facilitate MPs to carry out sensitization in their constituencies against COVID-19 pandemic.
With 459 legislators in Parliament, Kadaga and the Commission had secretly allocated themselves shs 10 billion as part of the supplementary budget which was passed by the House in the recent past to help government and relevant authorities combat the crisis.
However, the news of Kadaga and her MPs rewarding themselves silently drew ire among the public as constituents questioned the immorality, greed and irresponsibility displayed by their representatives as the country goes through turbulence.
Two MPs, Gerald Karuhanga and Jonathan Odur on Tuesday secured a court order stopping the process of sending money to MPs until the hearing of the main application.
In her ruling Justice Esta Nambayo of the Civil Court ordered:
“That until the hearing to determination of miscellaneous application No.179 of 2020 the status quo 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 UGX 10, 000, 000, 000, (Uganda shillings Ten billion) appropriated to the 1st respondent (Paramilitary Commission) under the impugned amendment to the report of the budget Committee in supplementary Expenditure….remain undistributed until the determination of miscellaneous application No. 197 of 2020, or if already paid, the Members of Parliament are ordered not to dissipate or spend the same until the hearing ams final determination of miscellaneous application No. 197 of 2020 or until further orders from this Honorable Court.”
However, a day after the ruling, the nation was startled to learn that money had been disbursed to MPs’ accounts after the Clerk of Parliament Jane Kibirige issued a letter on Wednesday directing all those lawmakers who intend to return the money to take back to their respectable banks.
“It has come to the knowledge of the Parliamentary Commission that some Members of Parliament wish to return the 20 Million paid to them last Friday 17th April, 2020. The Parliamentary Commission shall NOT receive the refund in cash due to the COVID-I 9 and the associated risks.
This is, therefore, to advise you to effect a bank transfer to the bank account detailed here below: Bank Name Bank of Uganda Bank Branch: Main Account Title: Parliamentary Commission – NTR Account Number: 003040168000001,” reads Kibirige’s letter.
Kadaga Speaks out
Presiding over Plenary on Wednesday the Speaker in high tone said the injunction was “confusing” and she invited the Attorney General to offer guidance since he is party to the petition.
“Now Honourable members by the time we received this order, I am informed that the money, the subject matter of this suit was already received by the Parliamentary Commission and had already been disbursed in accordance to the supplementary appropriation which was passed by this house in accordance to lay down procedures of this house,” Kadaga said.
She concluded that: “I instruct the Attorney General who is a party to this matter to come to this house and offer guidance as to how this order can be implemented. It is confusing.”
