Kadaga attacks government over evictions, prosecutors’ pay
In charge. The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, chairs the plenary session on February 25, 2020. PHOTO BY DAVID LUBOWA
The Speaker of Parliament, Ms Rebecca Kadaga, has accused government of “creating landless people.”
“As a country, we are creating landless and unhappy people. We are increasing poverty by these actions,” she said while presiding over the House siting yesterday.
She said many people keep losing their homesteads due to rampant evictions under the watchful eye of the government, something which she said must stop.
The Speaker, who tasked government to come out and solve the problem, said she had learnt about government evicting 35,000 people in Kiryandongo District to pave way for farming.
The eviction on 9,300 acres of land, the speaker said, had left 14 primary schools, 20 churches and eight health units demolished.
“How could government have built schools on land that was occupied illegally?” the Speaker wondered.
Meanwhile, the Speaker also criticised government for failure to meet demands presented by Uganda Association of Prosecutors for close to three years now.
She said she had received a letter from the association, “expressing disquiet and disappointment in the failure by the government to honour its undertakings to improve the terms and working conditions of the prosecutors.”
“In spite of numerous correspondences, including a letter I wrote to the Prime Minister in 2018 as a follow-up on the undertaking by Cabinet on this issue, nothing has happened,” Ms Kadaga said.
“I don’t want Parliament to be associated with the inefficiency of government on this issue,” she added.
She directed the Prime Minister to intervene, especially now that we are handling the Budget process, to ensure the fulfillment of the Cabinet undertakings to improve the plight of the prosecutors under the office of the DPP.
She also directed the Attorney General to fast track the presentation of the Bill to the office of the DPP.
2017 strike
In 2017, the prosecutors went on industrial action demanding government to address concerns such as taxes levied on their salaries and other emoluments.
