About 17,000 People have signed an online petition against the allocation of the scandalous shillings 10 billion to MPs for the COVID-19 fight.
The petition that has been addressed to the President, the Speaker of Parliament and the Prime Minister has received overwhelming interest with 17,000 out of the 25,000 required signatures.
The petition was instigated by the former internal affairs state minister Sarah Kiyingi on grounds that the allocation was misplaced.
Kiyingi wants the money channeled to the National COVID-19 Taskforce and the Ministry of Health as the lead agency in the fight against COVID-19.
“The Petitioners are also of the view, that since there is a National COVID-19 Task Force in place, whose Frontline Ministry was allocated only 104 billion Shillings, instead of 404 billion shillings which they had requested, that money should go to the Task Force, and not to MPs,” Kiyingi says.
Kiyingi urges in the petition that MPs will not be as effective in mobilizing or reaching their targeted electorates considering the ongoing lockdown.
She explains that parliament will be seen as acting parallel to the executive by performing duties similar to that of the National Taskforce on COVID-19.
She says Uganda has received rallying support from the private sector responding to the president’s appeal with generous donations.
The petitioners are also calling for a review of the 10 billion Shillings with some suggesting that this money can go to persons with special needs who need support while others have suggested that health workers who are the first line of defense should be supported with protective gear.
Ugandans have since criticized MPs for being selfish and not emulating the neighboring countries like Rwanda, who have instead sacrificed their salaries to fight COVID -19.
