Uganda’s most quoted commentator and presidential adviser Tamale Mirundi, at the start of the Corona lockdown, made this assessment of the country’s members of parliament: “Because they insist on the president first paying them before they pass any important legislation, our MPs act exactly like a married woman who sells kaboozi (sex) to her husband. Tamale said this because there had been questions why parliament was not being involved by the president before issuing the directives over the Corona emergency.
Broken agreement
What Tamale Mirundi meant was that since the country’s laws are made by the National Assembly with the President, neither of the two parties should expect, let alone insist, on first being paid by the other to fulfill their part of the solemn contract that they made with the citizens. But it happens, just like there are bizarre reports of some married women who demand cash on delivery before the conjugal rights are accessed by their lawfully wedded husband.
It is bizarre for MPs to demand payment when an important legislation, including and especially constitutional amendments, is brought for their deliberations and enactment. How do they expect the citizens to view the laws and amendments that are enacted in such a manner? And do they expect such laws to last? To begin with, MPs determine their own emoluments. So there is no need for them to seek extra payments to pass certain laws. They should increase their salary if they think it is not enough and should never be seen to seek extra money by dubious means.
Heavily indebted
Some say it takes two to tango and blame the president for yielding to the demands. But like the married men Tamale talked about, the demands come at a time when the payer has no choice. The woman does not ask for the payment in the calm setting of their living room as they watch the evening news. She waits at the critical time when the poor man’s desire is at the point of no return. Should such a wife, or MP be trusted?
The president has actually been reported in the past indicating that according to intelligence, only about seventy of the MPs are financially solvent, the rest being dangerously indebted. So salary slips have circulated of MPs whose take home at the end of the month is sh20,000 ($6), the bulk of the total monthly package (about $10,000) being captured by creditors who include vicious money lenders. Can such legislators be trusted?
The levels of some MPs’ concentration and attention to their duties are also woefully inadequate. Usually alarm is sounded when they open the Auditor General’s report and they start acting tough. But it usually transpires that the same matters as raised by the AG could have been averted if the MPs had done their oversight work properly or if they had paid attention to the previous Auditor General’s report and recommendations.
Fake kizike is the answer
The integrity some MPs has often raised concerns in the public. But it would be unkind to cite examples here, in any case they are rather many. But let us look at an amendment they made increasing their tenure to seven years without going back to the voters. If they did this as an exchange of sorts to remove the aga limits for the president, they it raises questions over their very understanding of the law, which law it is their duty to make. You cant help but side with ‘husband’ when he tricks the woman and gives her a fake kizike (sh50,000 note) for the kaboozi and let her only realize when she goes to the market (constitutional court) to realise that the guy had got his conjugal rights for free for once.
There are times when concern of the MPs for the welfare of the citizens can be doubted. For years now, they have failed to craft a real policy to enable all people get access to health care via national health insurance. But they quickly guaranteed nearly $400 million for a private high cost hospital. Maybe they dreamed that by the time the Lubowa hospital is completed, they will all still be enjoying the VIP status and access to state funds to fund their treatment there. In any case, with Cocid-19, it will be quite a while before the Ugandan VIPs can fly abroad to have their diseases treated, so Lubowa Hospital had better be completed fast.
But Ugandans will be going to the polls in less than ten months’ time, all things constant. The difference with this general elections compared to previous ones is that the country will be very different, having been burnt and tested by Covid-19. Will the Ugandans again be voting back this type of MPs? Tamale doesn’t think so.
