Parliament Pins Police For Spending Shs2.5B On Single Riot
IGP Kale Kaihura (L) and Internal Affairs Ministry Permanent Secretary Kagoda before Parliament's defence and Internal Affairs Committee
Ugandan Legislators on the Defense and Internal affairs committee have grilled the country’s police leadership over the exorbitant expenditure on public order management.
On Wednesday afternoon, a team of police officials led by Kale Kayihura, the Inspector General of Police, James Baba, the Internal Affairs state minister and Permanent secretary Steven Kagoda appeared before the committee to defend the midterm expenditure frame work paper for the 2013/2014 financial year budget.
However, the committee was particularly concerned that police had spent 10.242 billion shillings to manage four incidents under the public order management as of September 2013. According to the 2013/2014 budget frame work, police is seeking another 40.2 billion shillings for managing 25 public order incidents.
Mohammed Muwanga Kivumbi, the Butambala county MP says spending 2.5 billion shillings on a single incident is exorbitant. He accused police management of hiding under public order management to hemorrhage of public funds.
However, Rogers Muhiirwa, the Under Secretary Uganda Police Force clarified that the figure included funds for General staff salaries, allowances, Welfare and Entertainment and others.
Simon Mulongo, the Bubulo East MP wouldn’t have any of this saying it was wrong to combine salaries together with operational funds and therefore dismissed Muhiirwa’s submission.
Kivumbi said he was not convinced with Muhiirwa’s explanation. He questioned whether the police leadership had failed to explain how the money allocated for public order management in the 2012/2013 financial year budget was spent, and wondered how they expect parliament to approve the next budget.
Benny Namugwanya Bugembe, the defense and internal affairs committee chairperson said the committee will examine the figures presented by the police leadership and make a decision on the matter. The committee has tasked police to provide a breakdown of the cost centers/ drivers in each of the public order incident to enable Parliament to make an informed decision on the budget request.
It also recommended that it is imperative for a national dialogue to be held urgently in Uganda so as to resolve the outstanding political questions saying that this will not only galvanize nationalism and patriotism but also forestall any further exorbitant costs of repressive approaches to public order management.
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Those are the managers of this country, they are just organized thieves and ideologically senile figure heads.
Considering the amount of teargas , canes and batons unleashed during these riots, to say that they spent 2.5 Billion UGX on a single riot is in fact an understatement. These guys literally pour out tear gas like as if they’re possessed by Lakwena’s spirits
It is contradictory to spend all this money on riots and then boast about peace and social harmony. If a man spends 45% of his income on personal medical expenses , he cannot say that he is healthy.
Here we go again. On one occasion we have repairing of a grader at 2billion shillings from the police, now 2.5billion to police a single incident…salaries, allowances, buying sticks to beat up errant rioters, water canons etc…why oh why do Ugandans entertain such lunacy? double accounting clearly evident. I must confess I write from the humble abode of a Western city but it pains me to think the poor must continue to pay for such profligacy. Policing here a riot or demonstration only attracts a day’s allowance and not salary as one would already be earning a monthly salary. So there is entertainment expenses during riot policing? how sad!! How do you expect a thief to catch a thief? The police are clearly too corrupt as to police the vice or be a partner in its fight….as they say here its not fit for purpose…Small advise, work with demonstrators, afford them space and opportunity to vent their frustration within the “limits of decent law” and the savings put to building and improving regular police welfare. 2.5b would sure put up a decent police block to alleviate housing problems and if you save this on every potential riot within a few years the police welfare in respect to housing would have been addressed. I know I am speaking to the deaf here so there is no point but i have said my peace!! God help the wretched of the earth….
For the record once again, we r spending 10 billion now bt the unintended consequences that will come as a chemical intoxication of the teargas will cost the taxpayer ten fold
Liars how about Police whose Names have been scrapped from the Salary Pay roll Thieves spraying tear gas on innocent people then claim billions of shillings of Uganda with no accountability.
Kayihura is another thief,if at all he knows what we think of him he would rather seek refugee before it’s too late