Speaker of Uganda’s Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga (pictured) has asked the Attorney General, William Byaruhanga to offer Parliament legal advice on how the legislature should respond to the court order, stopping MPs from spending the Shs10bn for Coronovirus because the money has already been sent out to MPs.
“By the time we received the order, I am informed that the money, the subject matter of the suit had been received by the Parliament Commission and already disbursed. In the circumstance, I instruct the Attorney General who is party to this matter to come to this House and offer guidance as to how this order can be implemented. It’s confusing,” Kadaga said in her Communication during today’s plenary sitting.
The Speaker’s directive is in response to an order issued by High court Judge Esta Nambayo blocking the distribution and implementation of the Shs10Bn allocated to MPs, with each expected to get Shs20m to fight COVID-19 in the country.
In her ruling, Justice Nambayo said that no MP should use this money until 29th April 2020 when the case filed by Gerald Karuhanga (Ntungamo Municipality) and Jonathan Odur (Erute County) against the Parliamentary Commission and the Attorney General will be heard and disposed of.
In a related development, Clerk to Parliament, Jane Kibirige has requested all MPs interested in refunding the money, to initiate an electronic transfer back to Bank of Uganda, after Parliament refused to receive the said money by cash.
“The Parliamentary Commission shall not receive the refund in cash due to Coronovirus and its associated risks. This is therefore to advise you to effect a bank transfer to Bank of Uganda, main branch in the names of Parliamentary Commission and money will be received as Non Tax Revenue (NTR),” Kibirige said in her letter to MPs.
