#CORONAVIRUS_AWARENESS. Amidst Excitement Amongst Some Ugandan MPs, The High Court Has Today Haulted The Release of Shs 10Bn For MPs, Pending Ruling on Petition.

#CORONAVIRUS_AWARENESS.

The Civil Division of the High Court has ruled that the release of the controversial Shs 10bn to Members of Parliament be delayed until the hearing of the application challenging the allocation, scheduled for April 29.

Two legislators – Gerald Karuhanga and Jonathan Odur – petitioned the Civil Division of the High Court seeking to block the Shs 10bn Parliament allocated itself from the Covid-19 supplementary budget.

The legislators argue that Parliament was wrong and selfish to allocate money to themselves and that the Budget committee sneaked into the budget the allocation for Parliament.

The legislators who are represented by A.F Mpanga and Company Advocates handed the petition to the High Court registrar Sarah Langa on Monday, April 20.

Democratic Party leader Norbert Mao in a post on his facebook page said the MPs had earned themselves space on the wall of shame for their 10Bn ‘Cut’ off the Covid-19 Budget.

Earlier, FDC’s Dr Kizza Besigye called out the MPs for allocating themselves Shs 10 billion of the budget meant to fight Covid-19.

“Surely, what’s wrong with Uganda’s leaders? Everywhere in the world, leaders are donating their earnings to help the COVID19 fight. Uganda’s leaders see an opportunity to increase their “benefits”! MPs getting more than $5,000- each to help them fight Covid19! Stop this habit,” Dr. Kizza Besigye said on Wednesday.

Public opinion has been critical against the move with many describing the MPs as selfish.

Last week, a coalition of over 900 civil society organizations condemned the allocation at a time the country is struggling to curb coronavirus, saying this portrays greed and insensitivity of the MPs towards the poor people they purport to represent.

They demanded that all national resources be availed to resolving the complex disease COVID-19, especially providing relief services to Ugandans who are struggling to have a meal daily. 

The coalition also questioned why Uganda’s Parliament is not more preoccupied with resolving the more complex problems (such as stimulus packages to resuscitate the economy) than to be seen to operate like the situation is normal.