Government, Kadaga clash over corona food aid

Government yesterday accused Parliament Speaker Rebecca Kadaga of insincerity and political posturing, and told her to hold her peace and wait for the right time to demand accountability for the Covid-19 funds.
Ms Kadaga had in a televised interview yesterday called the government “ridiculous” and questioned the mess in the procurement and distribution of relief food to the vulnerable citizens affected by the Covid-19 lockdown.

The government has, however, reacted with consternation and reminded Ms Kadaga that oversight on the Covid-19 funds and food relief, cannot be done at the implementation stage and told her to desist from questioning activities being carried out by the government taskforce on Covid-19 pandemic.
“We reject the criticism of the Speaker. Is she not part of government? If she is not part of government, how did her Parliament approve the supplementary budget which includes payment for food?” Government spokesperson Ofwono Opondo said yesterday.
Mr Opondo was yesterday reacting to Ms Kadaga’s outburst in which she accused the government of defying the House resolution to distribute food in Kampala, Wakiso and some parts of Mukono districts, leaving the urban poor across the country guessing.
“The excuse given by the Executive was just ridiculous. I think they had decided. They wanted to use the money. They are undermining the population themselves because people were listening and are waiting,” the Speaker said in reference of the procurement of the food before the supplementary budget was even passed.
The House last week passed a Shs304b supplementary budget for the government to fight Covid-19.

Ms Kadaga, who called for investigations on how the supplementary budget and the funds being donated by the private sector were spent, accused the government of seeking to solve some financial problems of some individuals by rushing to procure relief items before the money was appropriated. She didn’t name the people the government wanted to help solve personal financial difficulties.
“I think they wanted to solve somebody’s financial problems. Look at the milk. The person who failed to sell milk in Kenya is the one supplying. Did they advertise?” She asked.
But the government spokesperson was blunt in his response to Speaker’s concerns.
Mr Opondo said it should not be Parliament, which approved the supplementary budget, to be the one asking about the procurement of the food items being supplied.
He accused Ms Kadaga of “political posturing” by raising questions about the supply of relief items instead of waiting to do oversight on the expenditure at an appropriate time.
Mr Opondo said that the Speaker is right to advocate for the people who have been earning hand-to-mouth elsewhere in the country, but he quickly defended the decision by government to start with the 1.5 million people in Kampala and Wakiso districts.
Mr Opondo also explained that after supplying to the targeted 1.5m people and also to the institutions that house vulnerable people, and, all the government hospitals, an evaluation will be made whether to roll out the programme to the rest of the urban centres across the country.

Ms Kadaga reiterated that Parliament continues to sit amidst Covid-19 scare to be able to complete the budget by end of May. She said with the East African Community member states obligated to read their budgets on the same day, Parliaments of Kenya and Tanzania have also reduced the number of MPs per sitting to do work while at the same time maintaining social distancing.
Currently, the clerk to Parliament has erected a tent in the parking yard to accommodate at least 100 people, including 80 MPs. The plan is to ensure, with the help of party whips, each MP attends one sitting per week.

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