Canteen closure irks MPs as food saga deepens

The deserted Parliament canteen after the House terminated the services of Hellenar’s Restaurant.PHOTO BY ALEX ESAGALA.

Kampala- Two Members of Parliament have said the closure of Parliament’s cafeteria following a dispute over procurement is inconveniencing.

Mr Silas Aagon (Kumi Municipality) and Mr James Waluswaka (Bunyole West) said they now have to leave the precincts of Parliament at meal times to get food.
“You are aware of the congestion in Kampala; there is too much traffic jam,” Mr Aagon said during a press conference at Parliament yesterday.

“For you to move away from Parliament to go and look for food, you must foot, unless you are ready to spend three hours driving to find a restaurant,” he added.

Speaking at the same event, Mr Waluswaka said, should they have to head to St Balikuddembe Market (Owino) to eat, they could run into pickpockets.

“We left Butaleja at dawn. I told the young men I am with that we would eat at the Parliament canteen. Unfortunately, the canteen is closed,” he said.

Mr Waluswaka added: “Should they go to Shauri Yako [shacks]? If you tell them let us go and eat in Owino Market, they could lose their bags.”

Parliament’s director for communication and public affairs Chris Obore told the media the matter would be resolved by Friday.

“Court informed us it will pronounce itself on the matter on January 11. So we will know the way forward after the court guides on Friday,” he said.

Daily Monitor reported this week how a two-year food deal worth more than Shs8b had kicked up a storm in Parliament and led to indefinite closure of the Parliament canteen.

The issue, which has since gone to court and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA), has brought out details of the disputed bidding process covered in accusations of bribery, abuse of procedure and impunity.

Some MPs who talked to this newspaper yesterday expressed fear that getting food outside Parliament might expose them to cholera and other ills.

They have threatened to petition the Speaker and blamed the food crisis on the technical people. They said the Clerk to Parliament and her team had all the time to sort out the procurement mess and warned them against bringing inexperienced food vendors to Parliament.

Trouble started after Parliament’s evaluation committee chaired by Sergeant-at-Arms Ahmed Kagoye, dumped Hellenar’s Restaurant which had been providing catering services to MPs and staff for more than two years, and awarded the deal to a new company called Romeo’s Restaurant. Although court had ruled that the status-quo remains, the clerk last week closed the Parliament canteen and blocked Hellenar’s Restaurant from accessing the place. Parliament reconvenes today.