Controversial Busiro East legislator Medard Lubega Sseggona has revealed that Members of Parliament (MP) are the most poorly paid government workers.
He said that each legislator takes home a monthly salary of Shs.6m compared to other government officials who are paid up to Shs.50m.
“I have seen a tweet from a malicious government official that there is a lot of traffic jam at parliament. He claimed that MPs pick up Shs.40m, but he didn’t have evidence.
“But that government official who posted such lies is given a government car, a driver paid by the government, fuel, and his car is serviced by the government. He attacked a Member of Parliament who is given just one car in five years without a driver like other government officials,” Sseggona defended himself.
It should be noted that Uganda Media Center boss, Ofwono Opondo was the first to post on his twitter account that legislators were picking a lot of money from parliament.
Sseggona explained that the other money they get, which many people use as a weapon to attack them, is given to them through allowances which are legally recognised.
Sseggona turned guns on voters whom he accused of being dishonest.
He challenged voters to attack their legislators after increasing their salaries since they always frequent their homes and offices asking for money for school fees, introduction ceremonies, burials and others.
He insisted that of all government institutions, parliament is the only one which is frugal.
He gave an example of parliamentary committees which are working on a budget of Shs.30m a month yet they have to travel, eat and drink while doing public assignments not their private work.
He was supported by Chris Obore, the Director for Communication at parliament who accused the 1986 bush war veterans of being behind the attack on the institution of parliament and Anita Among, the speaker of parliament.
He revealed that there are government officials who up to now have never accepted that Among, a young girl, who just recently crossed from opposition to the ruling NRM party is the Speaker of parliament and number three in the leadership of the country.
Bardege-Layibi Division legislator Martin Mapenduzi Ojara cheered Sseggona on UBC TV’s Behind the Headline talk show and insisted that there is a planned move to blackmail the institution of parliament and these attacks are fueled by other government officials.
He warned that if the attackers do not put down their weapons, they (MPs) are ready to revenge against them.
It should be remembered that recently, there was a war of words between Kasambya County legislator David Kabanda and some media outlets which ran stories castigating legislators for trying to allocate themselves extra allowances in these hard economic times.
Kabanda disclosed that some individuals in the Ministry of Finance are maligning Parliament through media.
“I know it’s the 86bn disguised under construction of a conventional centre & 319bn for Lubowa that you wanted to eat is causing this. You (were) pained by the fact that we blocked it. We shall expose you more when we resume,” Kabanda tweeted.
He added, “We cut 900b for fiscal space which at 16% was registering interest of about 210b. Ministry of Finance wanted to steal close to 600bn which the budget committee realised.”
Kabanda called upon the leadership of Parliament to aggressively oppose propaganda against MPs.
“MPs earn a gross salary of Shs.11m and after tax it comes to 6.2m net. This is the salary an MP’s pension & gratuity is computed. The additional allowances are for fuel. I don’t know fuel given to other leaders, civil servants & CEOs like Wanyama Don is counted as salary.
“Anyone who thinks there is money in Parliament please look for former MPs and assess their state. I know most of those making noise have been trying several times to become MPs but failed or have ambitions,” he noted
By Sengooba Alirabaki
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