President Yoweri Museveni has assured all former legislators that government will avail funds to take care of their welfare as leaders that have contributed to the democratization of the country.
Museveni revealed that he is working on the welfare of over 1,000 former MPs who have been recognized for their ‘outstanding’ performance in the August House.
“On issue of former MPs’ welfare, we have been discussing this and with what we call ‘steady progress’, this issue is really solvable,” Museveni said as he asked former MPs to have faith in him.
Museveni was speaking at Monday’s Golden Jubilee Awards Ceremony at Kampala Serena Hotel that saw former Members of Parliament (1st to 9th Parliament) receive medals for their participation in Uganda’s democratic process.
“There is an ongoing gratuity scheme, if it is only covering the MPs who are there now then we shall reschedule. Government can create a grant to cater for former MPs as well.”
Without revealing how much government will spend on each former MP, Museveni said his government cannot fail to take care of former MPs.
“How can Uganda fail to look after 1,000 former MPs who in the last 50 years played a small contribution yet we have taken care of tens of thousands of civil servants. So don’t worry we are going to work on the welfare of former MPs and their descendants,” he said.
Museveni however warned that government would not take care of descendants but should always look among themselves for representatives who would be receiving money on their behalf.
Speaker Rebecca Kadaga said the awards were not her creation but fell under the National Honors and Awards Act, 2001.