The opposition Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) has joined the chorus of those opposed to the three billion shillings being demanded by the government for the May 12 swearing-in of President Yoweri Museveni for a fourth term.
Joseph Bbosa, the newly appointed UPC vice president, says the government’s demand is indicative of the fact the Museveni-led National Resistance Movement is out-of-step with majority of Ugandans.
Bbosa says it is now evident that the NRM leaders are more concerned about their own comfort than the well-being of Ugandans.
The three billion shillings is part of 151 billion shillings the government is seeking the parliamentarians to pass. MPs on the budget committee Tuesday threw out the request that had suspiciously shot up from 290 million shillings to over three billion shillings.
The money is reportedly to fund just Museveni’s swearing-in activities on May 12 when his fourth term in office kicks off.
The request comes hard on the heels of another supplementary budget of 602 billions passed just before campaigns for the 2011 general election started.
If parliament grants the latest request, it would bring the total supplementary budget to 753 billion shillings, way above the lawful three percent the government can ask each financial year.
John Odit, the new UPC secretary general, says the monies need by the government is about seven percent of the national budget, and wondered why it is happening like that when the financial year is almost over.
Odit, the outgoing MP for Erute South in Dokolo District, says the suffering of the people of Uganda is likely to worsen because of an uncaring government.
He also said if reports that the next cabinet is going to be bloated are true, then it means more resources will be used to prop up Museveni’s new government instead of providing services to the people.
He says the UPC believes in a lean but effective government that provides adequate services to the people.
UPC president Olara Otunnu appointed Bbosa and Odit and Bbosa as party vice president and secretary general respectively on Monday.
