President Museveni on Monday used this week’s Cabinet meeting to vehemently protest the decision by MPs to allocate themselves Shs10bn as part of the COVID-19 supplementary. Gen Museveni voiced his displeasure and never minced words during the stormy Cabinet session. Supported by super rich Minister Sam Kutesa, who is also his brother-in-law, Museveni said such allocations by legislators are actually illegal and unconstitutional except that he has always kept quiet because he doesn’t want war with the combative Speaker Kadaga and majority of the MPs “are my NRM party members.”
This is how Gen Museveni, who even on Sunday veiledly denounced the same allocation during his televised COVID address/update, made his point at the Monday Cabinet session: “This isn’t the first time you are doing this in that Parliament and I have always ignored it because majority of the beneficiaries are my members. I have been restraining myself from publicly denouncing this illegality because I don’t want to embarrass them, majority of them being my members.”
Museveni carried on: “This must stop because it’s not how NRM works. We always put the interests of the people first and not our personal interests as leaders.” Museveni, who joined in when the session had already started under Premier Rugunda’s stewardship, also informed members he had reached out to the Speaker and showed his displeasure “but she also made her case why they had to do this.”
Museveni’s submission was immediately corroborated by Foreign Affairs Minister Sam Kutesa who suggested that Ministers who are also MPs set the example for backbench MPs by being the first ones to publicly return the money back to the treasury. Kutesa was supported by NRM SG Kasule Lumumba who was unusually very outspoken through the Monday session. The pro-poor politician from Bugiri argued that as SG she knows the extent to which the Shs10bn COVID scandalous pay out to the MPs is going to dent the image of the ruling party on the eve of a major election that 2021 is threatening to be. She advised that the ruling party, being one with the majority in Parliament, must be seen to lead the way in cleaning up the bad image the cash has created in the public.
Premier Ruhakana Rugunda also supported the Kutesa proposal that Cabinet leads the way by volunteering to publicly return the money which Gen Museveni maintained wasn’t procedurally well appropriated because he himself and the Cabinet, he constitutionally chairs, were bypassed. Before a team led by GCW Ruth Nankabirwa led the onslaught to shoot down the Kutesa proposal, Gen Museveni directed Rugunda to find a way of creating consensus between Cabinet and the NRM caucus members to ensure money is publicly surrendered back in a manner that is transparent, verifiable and can erase the public anger towards government regarding the insensitivity seen in MPs sharing Shs10bn at this time of great financial adversity. Museveni maintained that he has strong views opposed to MPs sharing Shs20m each but is ready to restrain himself because if he chooses to go out and denounce the MPs, it will be very bad because many of them will be actively shunned by voters who he said still consider him to be more credible than any of the legislators.
In their opposition, the Nankabirwas argued that Kutesa’s proposal couldn’t work because whereas some members had already got the money, many others haven’t yet. “And besides I disagree with my Hon Colleague [Kutesa] because there is no way we can take such a decision compelling all MP Ministers to return the money without Coram. It would be imprudent to take such a binding decision when many Cabinet members aren’t with us today [because the HE asked them to stay away to observe physical distancing],” sources quoted the unusually very assertive Nankabirwa as submitting.
Her submission emboldened other Ministers who had initially kept quiet fearing to contradict Museveni, Rugunda, Lumumba and SK who had disapprovingly spoken about the Shs10bn payout earlier. In his Sunday COVID address, Gen Museveni denounced public office holders who clamor for high remuneration at the expense of scientists who he argued are more important than anyone else. He never spoke directly but many construed this to be a veiled assault on the legislature whose power to determine their own emoluments is something he has always been uncomfortable with.
Gen Museveni also indicated to the Monday cabinet meeting that he is still working out ways on how he can publicly denounce the MPs without having open confrontation with their leader Rebecca Kadaga who recently appeared on NBS TV and justified the Shs10bn as necessary to enable MPs fuel their ambulances and generally participate in the COVID response in their districts.
In supporting Nankabirwa’s anti-SK views, some Ministers protested why anyone should be required to surrender back money which has already come to their bank account. “Why didn’t they directly channel the money into those COVID things in the first place??” one Minister protested suggesting it’s not being practical to require anyone to surrender back Shs20m in this period when everyone is broke and not having enough. That some even have bank loans whereby whatever lands on the account is grabbed by the bank implying such Ministers or MPs will have to incur debts to be able to publicly refund the Shs20m as Kutesa was suggesting.
In the end, Museveni insisted that Rugunda finds some way to work with Cabinet and NRM caucus in Parliament to ensure the Shs20m is forfeited back to the institutionalized COVID response teams in ways that the public can verify without any politicians eluding this refund obligation.
The big man from Rwakitura insisted “this business of saying I bought things worth so much and donated to my district taskforce won’t be acceptable. People must refund the money as Shs20m following an agreed upon formula that is verifiable.” Kasule Lumumba, who clearly was concerned about the public backlash the ruling party could suffer, supported this. Nankabirwa weighed in saying the matter must be approached very cautiously because even the Parliamentary Committee that processed the Shs10bn for MPs is chaired and numerically dominated by NRM MPs who consulted her office from time to time. This Nankabirwa submission impressed it on members that the ruling party carries the biggest burden to soothe the angry public opinion regarding the Shs10bn rip off (as some CSOs have since branded it).
Gen Museveni maintained that regardless of the circumstances and whatever justifications the Committee members could have had, the Shs10bn allocation was an insensitive act which he would have vetoed using Cabinet if anyone had bothered to bring it to his attention on good time.
At the Kutesa instigation, Cabinet agreed that the Shs10bn allocation to the NRM-dominated legislature was scandalous. It was a mistake. An anomaly that must be reversed to avoid demonizing the ruling party before the public that is already struggling to go through the COVID lockdown. It was agreed they must all return the money with Cabinet Ministers, who happen to be MPs, taking the lead and this must be done publicly to enable the ruling part clean its image from the resulting media publicity.
“The only thing Rugunda will resolve in consultation with the NRM caucus will be how to return the money. Some Ministers wanted it recovered and 100% handed over to the National Taskforce but majority preferred that each MP or Minister be directed to surrender it to district taskforces in their respective districts. It’s what politically makes sense because each MP wants relevance and visibility at the grass root where they represent and are interested in seeking reelection, ” a reliable State House source explained.
At the same meeting some Ministers underscored the importance of the NRM caucus curiously claiming it’s actually more important in appropriation and control of state resources than even the Cabinet. As GCW Ruth Nankabirwa nodded in approval, one of the Ministers argued that if Cabinet doesn’t tread carefully, there is a lot MPs can do to paralyze its operations because they have the appropriation mandate.
“Hon Colleagues that is why I’m suggesting we proceed very cautiously and ensure that we resolve this by way of consensus as opposed to this coming off as a cabinet directive to the caucus regarding this Shs20m for each elected MP,” the Minister suggested during the stormy Monday session.
It was agreed that, in consultation with the respective district taskforces, each MP/Minister will expend the Shs20m procuring what is essential and priority to COVID operations-related requirements. “If the problem is ambulance and you are three MPs, you can raise the Shs60m and have that additional ambulance bought for the district you represent,” explained one of the knowledgeable sources we spoke to.
Credit: mulengeranews.com
