The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT & URN | President Yoweri Museveni will donate close to half his monthly salary to the COVID-19 national task-force.
Reacting to a caller urging public servants to contribute to raising funds for the Coronavirus task-force, Museveni said he would donate about sh1.4million of his salary, and urged his colleagues to do the same.
President Museveni revealed that he is paid sh3.6m monthly, NRM takes a percentage and what remains is about sh 2.7million. “I will tell Janet to accept sh1.4m. Janet will sign each month to the fund,” he said.
He said he will ask First Lady Janet Museveni to adjust her budget, so that about half of what he receives after the deductions, is given to the effort to contain the pandemic.
“I will ask Mama Janet to give 50 per cent of my salary to the task-force,” he said at his 12th national address on Uganda’s measures to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
Uganda has 79 confirmed cases, with 52 of these having been released after recovery.
Museveni blasts MPs
Earlier, Museveni said Members of Parliament (MPs) who have taken the sh20 million given to them as part of the COVID-19 supplementary expenditures might be in trouble.
In his update address on the Coronavirus pandemic today, President Museveni condemned MPs for seeking to divert Ugandans from the current war.
“I’m very thankful with Ugandans they have responded but the 20 million Shillings by the MPs that caused confusion. It’s bad planning but secondly there were also legal and constitutional issues involved. It would be morally reprehensible to give themselves money for personal use when the country is in such a crisis and totally unacceptable to the NRM,” Museveni said.
He added that he met the speaker Rebecca Kadaga and told her that she entered the trap and the best way to extract themselves from it is by not spending the money.
“I agreed with the speaker that they donate the money to the district taskforce where they come from, it will limit the damage. I heard that some of the MPs went and bought things, that’s not good enough. We have a purchaser I have been in state house for 34 years and I have never even bought a toilet paper. Many Ugandans are angry with this and this will be sorted out,” Museveni said.
He added that the only persons who are allowed to purchase for government are the Permanent secretary’s, the Chief Accounting Officer, Town Clerks, Sub county chiefs and a few others.
“The one who bought on their own, the question is who authorized you to buy for the country? The Auditor General will come in and audit and say you bought badly so that we sort this. They can pay it back if they spent it wrongly,” Museveni said.
For those who spent money on themselves the president said, this is not only unacceptable but also criminal.
Museveni again warned politicians against interfering in the distribution of food. He said that all those caught doing so, will be dealt with harshly for helping in the spread of the coronavirus.
“That’s why the other fellow called Zaake had been arrested but how do you arrest Zaake and leave these one of the NRM including ministers,” Museveni said referring to the MP Francis Zaake, who was arrested for distributing food.
When he appeared in court in Mityana, Zaake couldn’t open his eyes. He failed to take plea and the magistrate ordered him to be taken to hospital to seek medical attention.
Museveni pointing at MPS, is a case of a pot calling the kettle black. How did Aponye acquire the contract to supply food?
Who is fooling who? Ugandans are not dumb nor stupid. This play of righteousness is poorly directed, poorly acted. And wrong timing. It’s only after the cry of the peaceloving Ugandans got too loud that contrary but same source complaints begun .? Really? That’s why teachers from rural areasare not on same level as teachers in Urban areas.