Police using tear-gas to disperse protesters
A section of Opposition MPs have asked Government to deal with political grievances if the Shs20bn Uganda Police Force spends on quelling a single riot is going to be diverted to other productive sectors.
The remarks were made by Muwanga Kivumbi, Shadow Minister for Finance while presenting the Opposition Response to the National Budget Framework Paper 2023/2023 before Parliament’s Budget Committee on Tuesday.
Muwanga castigated policy makers who argue that the economy can be fixed without addressing the environment that produces the economy, saying that is why most poverty alleviation programs have failed because the broader society issues have been ignored and instead led to the skyrocketing budget of security.
“We are spending Shs20bn to settle one riot, the cost of settling one riot is Shs20bn. Address the environment that endangers the riots, if it is deepening democracy, address it. If it is deepening free and fair elections, address it. We have surging in the number of Local Defence Units, they aren’t driven by terrorism, it is because of our political environment,” said Kivumbi.
However, David Kabanda (Kasambya County) defended the obscene expenditure on quashing riots, blaming it on former Presidential Candidate, Robert Kyagulanyi thirst for violence by failing to concede to losing the January 2021 general elections, saying Kyagulanyi left President Museveni with no alternative other than use security forces to quell the protests.
Kabanda remarked, “There is this issue where Hon. Kyagulanyi believes he wasn’t defeated in the elections and he claims he went through and he wants to overthrow the President maybe through violence. How do you want a government to handle such a person who thinks he never lost and he wants to become a president not through an election but violence?”
“If you are the President, how would you handle such a person? Would you just hand over power because you want peace?” asked Kabanda further.
Although there is no record of Kyagulanyi threatening to take over Presidency using violence, Kivumbi didn’t waste time in firing back at Kabanda telling him to ensure that NRM organizes credible elections that wouldn’t attract scrabbles.
Kivumbi said, “Have an election to which people can believe in. Deliver an electoral process to which is beyond reproach, it is as simple as that. Why do you have an election that can be easily disputed? Election day is like a battle front, you deploy forces. Do simple things please.”
The Opposition called for reduction in military spending saying Uganda is already a poor country that can’t sustain military adventure annually.
“We want to see how you can reduce military expenditure. If you are quarreling with Rwanda, can’t you do it with diplomacy? You can’t be in an environment where every year, you are having a military adventure, you are poor and fighting!” remarked Kivumbi.
The resource envelop for 2022/2023 budget framework paper is to a tune of Shs43.083Trn and of this, Security and Governance to which program Police falls has been allocated 6.184Trn.
In the current financial year, Police’s budget is to a tune of Shs1.043Trn, however in the next budget, Police is projected to receive Shs840.189Bn. The Force however wants an additional Shs2.335Trn in additional funds whose items remained unfunded.
