A section of NRM MPs have rejected a move by president Museveni to form constituency COVID-19 task forces across the country, for MPs to channel their support to their constituents.
42 NRM MPs mainly Parliamentary Committee Chairpersons and their deputies today met the Government Chief Whip Ruth Nankabirwa and expressed opposition to the move citing escalation of the current hostility between legislators and their voters.
On Wednesday this week, president Yoweri Museveni agreed with leaders of the NRM Parliamentary Caucus to form Constituency COVID-19 Task Forces in a bid to diffuse the feud between the executive and parliament, arising from the president’s criticism in regard to the 20M each MP received as facilitation in the fight against coronavirus.
It was also reported that UGX. 50BN will be injected into the project.
Museveni noted that the move was meant to avert constituency pressure from individual leaders.
Speaking to journalists at parliament soon after the meeting, Ruth Nankabirwa said that the NRM members want president Museveni to drop the idea of 50BN saying the voters may mis-interpret the move and cause more damage to the MPs’ already tainted image.
The MPs according to Nankabirwa say it is politically suicidal to receive any funding attached to COVID-19 from government at this time.
Nankabirwa however noted that the meeting did not specifically convene to discuss the 50BN issue, but members raised the matter as an issue of concern. She also dispelled the 50BN talk as unfounded rumor.
She said there is no legal basis to such an arrangement and government cannot undertake funding outside normal parliamentary procedure.
Nankabirwa also noted that there is a report in parliament that will pave way for reintroduction of the Constituency Development Fund, which when adopted will cater for an allocation of that nature.
