We don’t need ‘extra cash to buy iPads’

Well, the way budgets are done in this country, each institution prepares a budget and in Parliament we have a budget for stationery. But we realised that we were spending a lot of money on stationery, yet we could save a part of that money if we move towards e-governance and make MPs IT- compliant. We are just getting this money for iPads from the budget for stationery within Parliament and we think in the mid to long-term, there will be significant savings on the money we spend on stationery because the reports prepared by the ministries and the committees can be sent to the MPs electronically and the MPs can access them through Ipads. So, it should not be misunderstood as if we are asking for an extra budget.

2. How much do you spend on the stationery and how much will you save after getting these iPads?

I need to cross-check the figures but I know we will be using like half of the stationery and these tabs will be on till the end of the parliamentary term. So, it means that in the subsequent years, we will be using less money on stationery. Look at the policy statements produced by the government during the budgeting process. They are quite voluminous, heavy and expensive. Once we have these Ipads, the statements can be sent in soft copy to the MPs. In the end, it’s a cost-effective undertaking and the public should understand that our intention is to cut the costs.

3. What about those who say this could be a move by some officials from Parliament to make money by colluding with suppliers?

No, this is a decision which was taken by the parliamentary commission. After that, we shall leave it to the technical officers in Parliament to do the procurement and they must follow the law. The ICT department helped by drawing the technical specifications. Some potential suppliers complained to PPDA about the specifications but this has been sorted out and the process is on. There are many procurements done by Parliament and there is nothing special with this one. I don’t think anybody is interested in fleecing parliament of its money through this process. It’s a decision which was taken in good faith to make members of parliament more efficient and also to have a paperless parliament and in modern management; this is the way to go. Therefore, the allegation that someone wants to get money out of this is not only mere speculation but false.

4. So, you think buying iPads for MPs will make them more efficient when some of them do not know how to use them?

Some may not know how to use them. But we have a very robust IT department with highly skilled and trained officers. We expect that once the iPads are available, then our officers will have to train the MPs who are not skilled in the use of these technologies but lack of skills and knowledge by some MPs should not be a justification for us not to equip them. This makes our case even stronger. Ugandans need knowledgeable and up to date MPs if Parliament is to deliver. We amended our Parliament rules to allow electronic gadgets in the chambers. This means MPs can electronically search for information during committee and plenary debates.

5. Isn’t that an extra cost to train the MPs on how to use the technologies?

No. we have a training department within Parliament. We only need to organise members to be in one room and then get one of our staff who is already paid to give them skills.

6. Will these iPads be the property of Parliament or they will be owned by the legislators and is this the right time to buy MPs iPads when they recently got Shs103m for buying cars?

There is a general misunderstanding of the question of facilitation of MPs. Members of Parliament work for government; the work we do is not private or personal. Government facilitates all the people that work for it. The President, Ministers, civil servants, RDCs, sub-county chiefs and even LCI chairpersons are given transport. Although somebody “ate” the bicycles for LCs. So, why shouldn’t MPs be given transport facilitation?
We give MPs furnished offices, stationery and other office items. These ipads shall be disposed off in accordance with the law. At the end of the term they will be valued and disposed off in accordance with the PPDA law. The MPs should actually have received these ipads at the beginning of the term but we took the decision late. Our duty as a Parliamentary Commission is to make sure MPs are well facilitated to do their work. Unfortunately, and some people may not believe, our MPs are poorly facilitated compared to our neighbours like Kenya.
The Kenyan MPs are much better facilitated and an MP also manages Constituency development funds to the tune of about Shs1 billion a year. But for us, we decided to abolish the Constituency Development Fund so that the money is channelled through the ministries and local governments. The MPs only carry out oversight functions. In Tanzania, the government is constructing constituency offices for all the MPs using NSSF money. In Zambia, government hires a physical constituency office for each MP and employs technical staff there. It’s not true that members of parliament from Uganda are overpaid or over facilitated. Members of Parliament in Uganda earn a net salary of Shs1.5 million. And this is not the highest in our public service. We also pay them duty-facilitating allowances to enable them carry out their assignments.
For instance, they are given fuel allowance to ensure they reach their constituencies and this varies depending on the location and size of the constituency. Do you think MPs drink this fuel as tea? To me, that’s not the money you can count as an earning or a salary because it’s the money meant to help you do your work.
MPs are not the wealthiest people; actually constituency demands make them financially anaemic most of the time. Like in government, officials have vehicles fuelled by the government and when they go out of their duty stations, they are paid allowances because they are doing government work. Similarly, when MPs are in the constituency, they are doing government work, not personal work. But sometimes the public confuses these duty-facilitating allowances with income. I have heard some people saying that the MPs should use the money they earn from parliament to pay for their own Ipads, but these Ipads are meant to do official work. So, why should Members of Parliament subsidise government?

7. Don’t you think it’s a shame for MPs to sign a register in order to get sitting allowances and not attend the parliamentary session.
Well, MPs are not paid allowances according to the number of sittings they participate in the Plenary. It’s not true that members just sign and get allowances. However, there is a problem of absenteeism in Parliament which we are working on so that we can improve the situation. It’s unfortunate that for a House of close to 400 members you sometimes fail to raise quorum to pass important legislation.
However, there are many engagements that take the time of legislators. We need to appreciate that the MPs have different undertakings. They may be in the constituencies or chasing certain projects. But the issue of absenteeism is a big concern in this Parliament. As parliamentary commission, we have discussed it with the Speaker and we are going to support her to come up with remedial ways. We are looking at suspensions or withdrawing emoluments as part of the remedial proposals.