Parliament is mulling a proposal to purchase a helicopter for the office of the speaker, The Observer has learned.
Impeccable sources within parliament told us this week that the proposal was first tabled towards the end of the 9th parliament. But it gained currency in one of the parliamentary commission meetings in December last year when the Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga, reportedly asked for an update on the plan.
“The previous commission had discussed the proposal; so, what the speaker said is, it should be fast- tracked,” said one source familiar with the December meeting.
We have been told that in the December meeting, Kadaga said it is a shame that the head of one of the three arms of government does not have a helicopter. Kadaga is also chairperson of the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
A helicopter, she said, would make it easier for the speaker and the deputy to move across the country and monitor government programmes. Sources said she also lamented about how speakers in other countries, including neighbouring Kenya, are well facilitated and have access to a helicopter.
Kadaga was last October elected unopposed as president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) for Africa region. The meeting concluded that the technical team led by Jane Kibirige, the clerk to parliament, should study the proposal further and advise the commission accordingly.
However, another source said that in the same meeting, parliament’s director for finance and administration, Patrick Kunobwa, said money can be made available, even next financial year, for the chopper.
Efforts to talk to Kunobwa were futile but a source within parliament’s finance department confirmed that “it had been decided long ago that parliament will buy a helicopter for the office of the speaker.”
“There is nothing for the technical committee to decide because the commission has made up its mind that a helicopter must be bought,” said the source.
Chris Obore, the director of communication and public affairs at Parliament, told The Observer yesterday that he was not aware of any commission meeting that discussed the proposal of buying a chopper for the office of the speaker. But he said he would welcome the move, given the speaker’s busy schedule, which at times involves attending more than four functions a day.
“Our concern is that the speaker travels a lot because she is on high demand. People want her to attend their functions. Such a busy office cannot only rely on [land] vehicles. If parliament can buy the office a helicopter, that will be good,” he said.
COSTLY VENTURE?
According to website, www.reference.com, the basic personal helicopter is the Robinson R22. When new, it costs about $150,000 (Shs 540 million).
However, it accommodates only two people, including the pilot. The Bell 407 which has a passenger capacity of six costs about $ 2.6 million (Shs 9.3 billion).
The same website says there are more expensive helicopters on the market such as the Agusta Westland AW101, which costs $21 million (Shs 75 billion).It can carry more than 10 passengers.
A chopper also comes with additional costs. For instance, the same website says the cost of running a helicopter starts anywhere from $300 (Shs 1 million) per hour, including fuel, maintenance and repair costs throughout the year.
Therefore, should parliament go ahead and buy a helicopter for the speaker, it could lead to another round of criticism from the public. Parliament came under heavy criticism last year over perks and benefits enjoyed by the MPs.
A new chopper will also mean arrangements will have to be made for its parking. Sources said that in the commission meetings it had been suggested that it can be parked at Kololo ceremonial grounds, whenever it is not in use.
Another source told us that the new parliamentary chamber will have a provision for a helipad. News of parliament’s impending purchase of a chopper for the speaker has caused unease within other government circles, sources said.
Sources told us that government might refuse to avail funds for the helicopter. In Uganda, only President Museveni has fulltime access to an official helicopter.
On many occasions other senior government officials such as the vice president, prime minister and speaker have had to use a helicopter provided by the Uganda Police Force to move across the country.
ekiggundu@observer.ug