State Minister for Finance David Bahati is among the many MPs crying foul

Several Members of Parliament have made a cry to Police and Uganda Communication Commission to intervene in the ongoing scams that are highly targeting them and other high profile people by con-men.

This comes at a time when cases of fraud are apparently being reported by almost every MP about thugs that hack into their phones and Face book accounts and con their friends’ money.

The latest is one involving Kasiro County MP, Elijah Okupa, who narrated to parliament how his number was hacked by thugs who asked money from a number of MPs claiming that Okupa was stuck in Eldorate.

Gulu Municipality MP, Lyndro Komaketch, reported that he is currently paying back 17 million shillings to friends who were conned in the same manner using his name.

Okupa asked the Uganda Communication Commission and telecommunication companies to devise means of stopping this practice.

The state minister for planning in the ministry of Finance, David Bahati is among the many MPs crying foul over this cybercrime as his  Facebook account was hacked into hence used to con the public.

The minister of Internal Affairs, Obiga Kania,  assured  the MPs that measures were being taken by both police and UCC to clear the loop holes that are still leading to such cyber-crimes.

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The city authority contracted a foreign company TUCKSEE to provide the e-city system for 2.7m dollars.The system is employed to electronically account and manage city revenues.

The Committee on Commissions Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) has however criticised the fact that KCCA failed to collect withholding tax from the vendor of the system.

The auditor general in his report ending 2014 noted that KCCA was according to the contract compelled to pay withholding tax of 6% amounting to 130,000 dollars on behalf of the contractor contrary to the law.

MP Anita Among

When KCCA tried to amend the contract the contractor lodged a complaint in the court of arbitration and on the 8th of June this year was awarded 211,000 dollars’ worth of withholding tax certificates and late payment costs of 23,000 dollars.

MPs on the committee reprimanded city officials led by the KCCA Executive Director, Jennifer Musisi, for negligently flouting local tax laws leading to loss of funds.

The Deputy Director, Sam Serunkuma, attributed the computation on a special bilateral agreement signed between Uganda and South Africa and the World Bank guidelines on procurement.

However the MPs led by the Deputy Chairperson, Anita Among, refused to acknowledge this response noting that national laws take precedence over trade rules and guidelines.

Musisi tried to argue that there was no loss of funds but was shot down by  Among and Kasilo County MP, Elijah Okupa, who insisted that any breach of the law leads to loss of money.

Among has called for a cost benefit analysis of the entire project.

Jennifer Musisi the Executive Director, KCCA

Musisi justified the expenditure of 2.7m dollars on the acquisition of the systems source code that enabled the authority to upgrade the system at will.

The MPs have asked for a list of all Court cases that KCCA is embroiled in, additionally the MP for Lubaga North Moses Kasibante led a call for KCCA to submit the professional CVs of the heads of its procurement, finance and legal so that the committee can analyze their competencies.

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State minister for higher education, Muyingo.

The Minister of state for Higher Education, John Cyrstom Muyingo, has informed Parliament that the 9 member committee appointed by the President to investigate issues of Makerere University is to take three months before a report can be presented.

He says the committee that was appointed yesterday by the President has already started its work.

Muyingo said this after National Youth MP, Ann Adeke, raised this as a matter of national importance and was backed by different MPs.

MPs demanded an explanation from government to when it planned to open the University.

The Nakaseke South MP, Paulson Lutamaguzi Semakula, says that the closure of Makerere University has badly affected international students whom he says are loitering around Kampala waiting for when the University will be reopened.

Makerere University main building.

Kasilo County MP, Elijah Okupa, said that he  has been approached by several people  asking her when government plans to re- open the University as they have taken  lots of loans to educate their children and hence asked the President to reconsider and reopen the University immediately.

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga said that Parliament will debate the matter regarding this University closure as government waits for the report from the appointed team.

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President Yoweri Museveni.

President, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni last week appealed to the Parliamentary Commission to consider extending the payment of pensions and gratuities to include all the former MPs not just those of the 9th and 10th Parliament.

Museveni said this recently during the Golden Award Ceremony of 1162 MPs who served the country right from the 1st to the 9th Parliament when Uganda celebrated its golden Jubilee.

The President says the government cannot fail to look after 1,000 people who in the last 50 years made a contribution to the development of this country.

The appeal was made when one of the Golden Jubilee Medalists asked that as former legislators, Parliament considers also accompanying their awards with some token of appreciation in form of money.

Mathias Nsubuga, the former Bukoto South MP expressed the need for a resource envelop that can cater for families of former MPs most of whom cannot cater for themselves.

Another MP, Gilbert Oulanya, the Kilak County Member of Parliament did not also differ much saying that government needed to do more for these families either by either schooling their children than giving simply empty medals.

Meanwhile former Rubaga South MP, John Ken Lukyamuzi does not support attaching monetary value to the medal. Lukyamuzi was however, among the few opposition politicians who turned up to receive the medals.
He said boycotting the ceremony is meaningless and he received a medal not for President, Yoweri Museveni but for his own contribution to Uganda’s democratic struggle.

Some of the prominent opposition politicians including Dr. Kizza Besigye, wife Winnie Byanyima, Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) Party President Mugisha Muntu, Leader of Opposition in Parliament, Winfred Kiiza  did not show up  for the Golden Jubilee medal awarding ceremony.

Others are Democratic Party (DP) president and former Gulu Municipality MP Norbert Mao, former Mbarara Woman MP Miria Matembe, former Kampala Central MP Erias Lukwago and others.

The awarding occasion is provided for under the National Honours Award Act, 2001.

The medalists were read out by, General Elly Tumwine who is the Chairperson of the Presidential Awards Committee.

Museveni was later invited to decorate the medalists who were recognised for work done in building Uganda’s democracy.

However, Gen.Tumwine cautioned those who received the medals to handle them with care and put them on with pride since they remain a property of the republic of Uganda.

About 300 Members of Parliament since 1962 to 2012 did not pick their Golden Jubilee award medals, though 600 million shillings was injected in for their procurement and preparations to about 1400 beneficiaries.

Reports from the officials who were giving out invitation cards and identification tags to the beneficiaries of the medals say that most of the Opposition MPs shunned the awarding ceremony and hence causing wastage of funds used for making   invitation cards, identification tags and booking eats they said.

The award is in recognition of the present and former MPs for their contribution to the democratization of the country and some of them missed the medals due to lack of transport facilitation especially to those who served in the first Parliaments.

The awarding ceremony held at Serena hotel on Monday and officiated by the President was attended by few opposition MPs because others did not want to associate with the President and prefer to pick them after without the President’s hand shake.

Among of those who boycotted the function include; the former  Democratic Party President, Dr.Paul Kawanga Ssemwogerere,John Sebana Kizito ,Mukono Municipality MP, Betty Nambooze Bakireke ,Leader of Opposition Winfred Kiiza ,Kampala Central MP, Mohammed Nsereko , Erias Lukwago ,Bugweri County MP, Abdul Katuntu ,Soroti Woman MP, Angelina Ossege ,Lubaga North MP, Moses Kasibante ,Busiro South MP,  Merdad Segona ,Masaka Municipality MP, Mathias Mpuga among others.

Others are the former FDC Leader, Dr.Kiiza Besigye’s wife Winnie Byanyima ,former Leader of Opposition, Wafula Oguttu  and Latigo Ogenga ,Democratic Party President, Norbert Mao ,former Mbarara district MP, Maria Matembe among others.

The few opposition MPs who attended the function include the Kilak North MP,  Gilbert Oulanya, Kasilo County MP, Elijah Okupa ,Lira district Woman MP, Joy Atim , Aswa County MP, Regan Okumu among others.

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The directive was given following a discovery by the legislators that UNRA commissioned the operation of Kyoga one ferry on Zengebe –Namasare between Nakasongola and Amolter district without insurance.

The Committee Chaired by the Member of Parliament for Bugweri County, Abdul Katuntu, were shocked to learn that Kyoga one ferry has been operating on water for three years yet it has never been insured.

The discovery surfaced while the MPs grilled the Director Road Infrastructure protection at UNRA, Reuben Byaruhanga Tumwebaze.

The MPs who included; that of Kasilo County, Elijah Okupa, Woman MP for Bukedea, Anita Among said that the ferry is putting the people’s lives in danger while the travel on water.

Katuntu told UNRA officials to insure this ferry, warning that he will order police to put to rest its operations if its insurance is not secured soon.,

Allen Kagina the UNRA boss.

In her response the Executive Director UNRA, Allen Kagina, admitted that there has been a delay to secure the insurance for Kyoga one ferry, saying that it was caused by the bureaucracy with the insurance company which  they had identified to do the job.

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According to the rules, four MPs are supposed to be voted among the mps to seat on the commission, one comes from the opposition while three from the NRM of whom one has to be a woman.

The main opposition party FDC has already selected Kasilo MP Eliajah Okupa to represent the opposition on the commission.

Gen. Elly Tumwine

The battle is now for the three NRM posts and more than 16 MPs including the army representative are contesting for them.

Among them are Kinkizi East MP Chris Baryomonsi, Hamson Obua of Ajuri county in Lira district, Rose Akol,  woman MP for Bukedea district, Bunyole MP Emmanuel Dombo and Gen Elly Tumwine army representative.

Chris Baryomonsi says he will bring reforms in the commission among them improving the welfare of MPs and regaining the glory of the august. Balyomusnsi also promises to improve the health insurance scheme.

Dombo Emmanuel who deems himself as an experienced back bencher is confident that with his presence on the commission, Parliament will have an organized way of transacting business and bring Parliament near to the people.

With his militaristic experience, Gen Elly Tumwine says he wants  to sensitize lawmakers on how to develop their constituents.

The parliamentary Commission is the body that works on the welfare issues of Members of Parliament.

By Isaac Senabulya

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