Aidah Nabunjo
Oct 31, 2022
Last week, President Museveni rejected a proposal by MPs to have their salaries and pension increased prior to their passing of the Parliamentary Pensions Amendment Bill 2022.
In a 13th October letter directed to Speaker Anita Among, President Museveni declined to assent to the bill, following advice from the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development that the Bill presented to them for assessment of its financial implication did not include amendments to increase their contribution to the government fund from 30 percent to 40 percent.
On the Fatboy show, Viola Kusasira, a guest host, questioned why MPs want their salaries and pensions increased despite their already exorbitant earnings and allowances.
She wondered why the MPs showed no sympathy for the country’s battle against the current epidemic and are instead seeking salary enhancements.
“There is no way you can come at such a time and say you need money, it is just sickening," she said.
Currently, the basic salary of Ugandan MPs is 11 million shillings. The figure is added onto 10 - 30 million shillings as mileage allowances every month, depending on a legislator’s constituency.
Additionally, Viola said, “11 million shillings is just for the record but allowances, and now we have to take care of them even if they did not serve their constituencies. Some of them go in there to sit, and we are supposed to take care of their future before they even retire, I think that is very unfair.”
James Onen, the Fatboy show host, said that despite the exorbitant increments in salary, there is nothing to show for it.
He argued that the salary increments be awarded according to the MP's performance rather than a blanket increase despite many doing nearly nothing for their constituencies.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive, and Sarah every weekday from 6 am to 10 am on RX Radio.