By Mike Sebalu
Members of Parliament (MPs) on the East African Affairs Committee have asked the first deputy prime minister and minister for East African Affairs, Rebecca Kadaga to use her position to lobby for more funding for her ministry.
This is after the ministry while appearing before the committee asked for more funds to facilitate their ministers and yet they have an allocation of Shs50bn in the next financial year.
The acting permanent secretary at the ministry, Collins Dombo says the ministry was given Shs3 billion as operation funds.
He says the money cannot facilitate the purchase of security vehicles for the first deputy prime minister.
“Yes, we have these vehicles from police, they are old vehicles actually about 350km, they break every day. Either we would abandon them and buy her proper security vehicles or we continue to maintain these but they break every day,” Dombo said.
However, Koboko county MP, James Baba and Namisindwa district woman MP Sarah Netalisire instead recommend that the former speaker uses her cabinet position to lobby for more funds.
“Here you are, you are crying of underfunding. What political capital are you taking advantage of in this position? Don’t come here and cry we are underfunded, we are this and that when you are in an advantageous position to cut your cake as you want it,” Baba told Kadaga.
