Don’t work in isolation, Tayebwa tells MPs

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Thomas Tayebwa, has asked Members of Parliament to team up with local leaders and fellow legislators from the districts they represent in delivery of services.
Speaking during a belated Women’s Day celebrations for Ntungamo District at Kishami Secondary School in Ruhaama County on Saturday, Mr Tayebwa said MPs who work together with fellow leaders perform better.
“When you are from a district and you are Members of Parliament, you need to work together to satisfy the needs of your people, you can never work in isolation, you must work with local leaders, they are the people who deliver the services otherwise you find yourself putting in too much and getting little,” Mr Tayebwa said.
Women leaders in the district had accused the Woman MP who organised the function of not engaging and involving them in planning for the day. There have also been clashes between MPs from districts over key services.
The celebration was marked as a fundraiser for the Kishami Community secondary School with the proceeds going to construct a girls’ dormitory. The secondary school is founded by the Church of Uganda.
Mr Tayebwa decried the low tax uptake in the country with only 11 percent of the people paying taxes that the state derived finances to give services to the country.
“The greatest challenge we have as the country is limited finances, only 11 percent of the people we have a paying taxes and the rest are beggars asking what the government is doing for them.  Women are now the biggest workers doing almost everything, but they need to be supported. Women, our hopes are in you on developing this country,” Mr Tayebwa said.
The Ruhinda North MP noted that the Parish Development Model was aimed at resolving gross income inequalities at grass roots level but many people have despised its approach.
“Everyone despised the Parish Development Model approach and said the people they give the money shall eat it, I said after all it has always been eaten in Kampala, now let the people in the village also eat,” he said.
The function organised by the Ntungamo District Woman MP, Ms Bata Kamateneti, saw at least 15 other legislators including all from Ntungamo district attending. Over Shs50 million was collected from the fundraiser.
Ms Kamateneti called for prioritisation of girls’ welfare in schools asking Parliament to enact laws support girls’ education in rural areas.
The Ruhaama County MP, Mr Henry Zinkurateire, decried ‘disrespect’ by government agencies especially Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) towards MPs, saying they never respond to calls for working on damaged roads in time, which affects infrastructure performance.