Many MPs readily admit that visitors from their constituencies are a bother, but not speaker Rebecca Kadaga, the Kamuli Woman MP.
Last Tuesday, Kadaga surprised the House she was chairing, when she proudly introduced two delegations from her district.
“I am happy to report that Mbulamuti ferry is working well. I want to introduce another team of voters from Kamuli,” she told MPs about an hour after introducing another group which she said were local government officials from Kamuli.
However, when the House was adjourned, some MPs from Busoga were overheard complaining about Kadaga’s visitors. Apparently after seeing the speaker, the honourable guests start calling MPs from Kamuli.
Trouble is the MPs don’t have money to give the voters. And you see in Ugandan tradition, when you find your elderly uncle from the village somewhere in Kampala, you have to give some transport or at least a soda of Shs 10,000.
If you are an MP, you have to double that; if you are a proud MP, make that a Shs 50,000 note or else you become the topic of the village trivia.
“For me I get worried whenever I see them or receive a call that they have come; their coming means money for food and transport and yet if you do not give, they go complaining. For us we don’t have the money like her [Kadaga].” one MP from Busoga told a nodding colleague from the same region.
MPs routinely complain about frequent calls from voters asking for money for school fees, hospital bills, or coffins to bury their departed beloved. But the above duo said Kadaga is well-facilitated and can afford to host delegations of her voters.
Honourable Sabiiti’s ‘conflict of interest’
Last week was not easy for works minister Monica Azuba Ntege. But neither was it smooth sailing for Engineer Denis Sabiiti, who chairs parliament’s physical infrastructure committee.
It all started when Sabiiti leniently ruled that the minister and her team, which included Uganda National Roads Authority boss Allen Kagina, could make their case without documents. MPs felt Sabiiti was being too soft on the minister, with some suggesting he should sit on the other side – with the minister’s team.
“Honourable, is that how you are going to conduct business of this committee when our voters are suffering to transport their produce to markets?” Erute MP Jonathan Odur said. “Do you think this is a church where one preaches and the congregation does not question anything? No, declare your [conflict of] interest.”
Sabiiti defended himself citing rule 77 of the Parliament Rules of Procedure, which allows him to rule on a matter. However, Busongora North MP William Nzoghu was not impressed. He reminded Sabiiti that the rule enjoins the chairperson to rule in a just manner. This left Sabiiti with no choice but to painfully chase the minister and ask her to return this week on Tuesday.
Before becoming Rubanda West MP, Sabiiti worked in the ministry of works. MPs appeared to suggest he had a strong conflict of interest, but he did not come close to declaring it.
Minister: at least let me finish my tea
Monica Azuba Ntege is really the minister for works. I mean the minister works so hard she can hardly find time for a bottle of water let alone breakfast at home. This was the impression you got last week, when the honourable minister met parliament’s committee on physical infrastructure.
When she got to the East committee room and was asked to introduce herself to the members, Azuba started by apologizing, pleading that she had been in many other meetings.
That was forgivable. What wasn’t was the minister choosing to answer queries without supporting documents. So MPs ordered her out of their sight. Yet what bothered her was not being chased, but being deprived of her only chance to share the tea served during the committee sessions.
“Okay honorable members, let me finish my tea and then go back and prepare ourselves; next time we come, we shall have those documents,” she said.
Her plea, however, caused rib-breaking laughter to the MPs who said it was okay for the delegation to take some tea before leaving. Wolokoso thanks the committee leadership for its consideration. Otherwise, our hardworking works minister could have collapsed on the way to the next meeting.
Lokodo’s love for Karamoja attire
Some people say it’s easy to remove someone from the village but not easy to remove the village from a villager. Similarly, one could argue, you can remove a Karimojong from Kotido or Kaabong, but it may take some effort to remove Karamoja from the person. This appears to be the case for Fr Simon Lokodo, the junior minister for ethics and integrity – who just won’t stop loving his skimpy cultural attire.
Recently, Lokodo had a female scribe thrown out of parliament for wearing a dress too short for the minister’s comfort. So, last week, the scribe asked Lokodo why he targeted her short dress when some people from Karamoja sometimes wear ‘small pieces’.
“Do you remember that in May when you came for swearing in, the women that escorted you were all putting on short dresses, why did you allow them to come all the way from Karamoja almost naked and you chase me?” the scribe dared the former priest.
But Lokodo, with a straight face, shot back: “That is how people of Karamoja dress; that was Karimojong attire. If you come dressed in Karimojong attire, you will be looking so nice. However short it will be, I will have no problem with you. By the way it seems you look so good when you put on that [Karimojong] attire. I love it. It is so nice.”
So, Honourable Lokodo, are dresses not equal before the law?