MPs printing costs triple after receiving free iPads
MPs use iPads during a Parliamentary session recently. Photo by Geoffrey Sseruyange
What you need to know:
The gadgets were meant to reduce printing costs which have instead risen from Shs383.9m to more than Shs1.5b.
Parliament- A year after the introduction of high-class computer tablets-iPads, an investigation by this newspaper has revealed that the printing costs did not go down but instead the budget for printing and stationery has more than tripled.
The revelation will, however, stun Speaker Rebecca Kadaga who had assured the country amid criticism from the civil society that the new policy shift would help reduce the expenditures on stationery, printing, photocopying and binding.
The skyrocketing costs
The expenditure on printing, stationery, photocopying and binding has increased from Shs383.9m in 2013/14 financial year to more than Shs1.5b in the current financial year.
Last year, civil society activists reduced the authorities in Parliament to a “pack of self-seekers” for sanctioning a disputed deal worth about a billion to facilitate legislators using taxpayers’ money to buy iPads.
“They hoodwinked the public that the iPads will reduce the printing costs,” said Ms Cissy Kagaba, the executive director, Anti-corruption Coalition Uganda.
“From the start, we said they let down the teachers and health workers and we strongly objected to the use of taxpayers’ money to offer free iPads to the highly paid politicians.” She added: “Now that the even with the iPads, the costs for printing and stationery have not reduced, it’s a clear indication that they duped Ugandans that they were trying to help the government save yet they were after something else. They are not truthful and there they cannot be trusted and they owe Ugandans an apology.”
Moroto Municipality MP Simon Aleper (NRM) told Daily Monitor yesterday that after members were given free iPads, authorities in Parliament stopped giving members a ream of paper, toner for printing and notebooks. However, this has not reduced the costs for printing, stationary and binding.
“The people responsible must explain why the cost for printing and stationery has increased even after they stopped giving us (MPs) papers and notebooks,” Mr Aleper said. “This embarrassing and there must be something wrong.”
Daily Monitor understands that the same figures were also confirmed on page 72 of the 2014/15 Parliamentary Commission policy statement to Parliament. Though the Parliamentary Commission presented their Shs237.5b budget to the Legal Affairs Committee on Thursday, none of the committee members probed the increased costs on printing and stationery.
While Ms Kadaga was unavailable, asked why iPads had failed to reduce the costs on printing and stationery, the Parliament Clerk, Ms Jane Kibirige declined to offer any clarifications before she looks at the figures. “I have to look at (policy statement again). I will check it out tomorrow [today] and respond accordingly,” Ms Kibirige told Daily Monitor yesterday.
