Following social media outbursts over the 2.5 billion shillings burial budget of the Late Speaker Jacob Oulanyah, the government finally bowed to pressure, reducing it nearly by 30 percent.
The State Minister for Finance, in charge of General Duties Henry Musaasizi, announced that the budget was slashed to 1.8 billion from 2.5 billion after thorough revision by the Ministry of Finance.
RX Radio Presenter James Onen aka Fatboy reasoned that perhaps it wasn’t the social media outrage that compelled slashing of the budget but rather, envy among some benefiting groups.
According to Fatboy, issues of torture and abductions have always raised alarm but in vain conveying, that something else must have stirred up the response.
“It wasn’t reduced out of principle but out of envy. Some people could have disagreed because others were to benefit more than them, so they advocated for certain sections of the budget to be revised,”he said.
However, his co-host Olive, in a comment to the subject argued that social media couldn’t be overlooked in budget reduction.
“It is possible that one of the two things or both caused the budget reduction. Social media complaints and reactions could have caused it but also some people in the corridors of parliament must have complained about the huge sum especially since they were going to partake in it,”Olive said.
Further contending the sum allocated to security, Olive reasoned that if the UPDF is going to provide security to the dignitaries, why was the ministry allocating money for a national army to provide security for its own citizens?
The body of Rt. Hon Jacob Oulanyah will be returned to the country on April 1, 2022. He will spend two days at his home in Muyenga and later will be taken to parliament on April 5th. The Body will then be airlifted to Omoro District on 6th April and finally will be laid to rest on April 8, 2022.
The Fatboy show is hosted by James Onen aka Fatboy, Olive and Sarah every weekday from 6am to 10am on RX Radio.