Minister of State for International Affairs Okello Oryem

Members of Parliament on the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs are bitter with State house over blocking them from meeting the President.

While  meeting the Minister of State for International Affairs Okello Oryem the chairperson of the foreign Affairs committee Rose Mutonyi said that they tried to reach the president through state house to voice the foreign affairs sector pressing issues which for long are not attended to but in vain .

She said that as a committee wants to meet the president to voice to him the sector concerns which include the Uganda’s 49 billion shillings outstanding arrears to the international organizations.

Uganda’s annual subscription to the international organizations is 20 billion shillings and government in this financial only provided 9.1 billion shillings.

The committee is also concerned with the continued appointment of non-career diplomats as Ambassadors in the various missions.

Members on the committee noted that out of 35 Ambassadors for the missions in Washington, New York, Dares salaam, Mombasa,Guangzhou  and Abu Dhabi  only six are career diplomats .

The committee chairperson Rose Mary Mutonyi pleads to the minister of foreign Affairs Sam Kutesa to prevail state house and make the committee meet the president.

She has also reported state house to the president over sitting on the committee letters which are seeking appointment for the meeting with committee.

The minister of state for international Affairs Okello Oryem asked the mps to engage the president over the appointment of career diplomat.

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Secretary to the Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi.

The Secretary to Treasury Keith Muhakanizi has asked government to withdraw its membership from some of the International organizations to reduce on the accumulating arrears the country owe to foreign organization each year.

The call comes at a time when Uganda is said to be indebted to international organizations to a tune of 38.4 billion shillings.

Muhakanizi was speaking to Members of Parliament on the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs in a meeting held at Imperial Royale hotel in Kampala on Monday.

He said that it is not possible for Uganda to be a member to every international organization since the resource envelop for the country is still small to accommodate each expenditure.

Muhakanizi said that Uganda should be out of some of the international organization as other countries in Africa since it cannot afford to pay for its membership in these organizations.

However, some MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee opposed this proposal to withdraw membership from some of the international organizations saying that the money must be found to pay membership to the foreign organizations Uganda is interested in since they link it to foreign business benefiting the country’s economy.

The Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee who is also the Member of Parliament for Bubulo West in Manafwa district, Rose Mutonyi said that Uganda should remain in all the international bodies as the accumulated arrears to these organizations is cleared in parts.

The Member of Parliament for Mbale Municipality, Jack Wamanga Wamayi says that it should be a priority for government to meet its contribution to the international organizations since it is a platform for the country to play the international politics.

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