Opposition Members of Parliament are sharply divided on whether to return the 20 million shillings that government gave to all legislators in the last parliament to monitor government development projects.
A number of the legislators that Uganda Radio Network talked to said they have nothing to return because they had already used it to pay for their various expenses in the constituencies. Some even joked that they wish more was given on top of the 20 million.
Reagan Okumu, the Aswa County MP, said he will never return the money since he used it to pay the school fees of 36 students he supports to study at Gulu University. He said that when he heard that there was free money that had been dished out to all MPs he rushed to his account and found there an extra 14 millions shillings.
The MP said unlike his colleagues who hail from urban areas, where constituents are not so needy, his voters are poor and lack even basic needs such as food, shelter and clothes. He equated the free money to a blessing of showers during a rainy season.
When asked whether he would not one day be hard pressed to defend opposition fight against misuse of public resources and corruption, Okumu said he would produce bank payment slips of school fees and the names of students from his constituency whom he has helped. He said he is ready to account for the money in full but not to return it.
An adamant Okumu also took a swipe at his colleagues whom he accused of acting as if they are holier than thou in fighting corruption. Without mentioning any one’s specific name, Okumu said some of the FDC leaders were behaving as if they are the best fighters of corruption in this country.
He said he would not heed to the party’s calls to return the money because his voters asked him not to.
Franca Akello, the Agago woman MP also has a similar argument to make of the money that was suspiciously given just few days to the elections. Akello told Uganda Radio Network that she used the 15 million shillings to complete school fees balances of four students from her constituency, whom she is paying for at Makerere University and over ten others at different A’ level schools in the country.
The controversial money issue has divided the opposition MPs so much that at least two different meetings were held on Tuesday to discuss the matter. Leader of Opposition in parliament, Nandala Mafabi, called an urgent meeting earlier in the day but there was no position reached on the matter.
However, Nandala said the matter would not divide them as a team determined to fight against government corruption. But he said that the FDC party had on its own taken a position that all its members should return the money to the treasury.
Later in the evening, Col. Kizza Besigye, the FDC president, summoned the FDC MPs for a meeting in parliament to discuss among other things, the 20 million shillings.
Following the meeting, the FDC leader summoned the National Executive Committee, the highest decision making organ of the party, to a meeting ton Wednesday that would come up with an official position on the money.
The FDC chief whip, Winifred Kizza said yesterday that during the morning meeting, it was decided that the decision of whether or not to return the money should be left to individuals to determine. She said they were finding it hard to agree on the matter since every member was given the money on their own and not through the party.
She however agreed that keeping the money would remain to haunt the fight against corruption by the opposition for sometime, since they would always be reminded about it.
