Uganda: MPs Receive Shs300 Million Car Grant, Want More. . .

What the report says

AllAfrica, republishing a Nile Post report from Kampala, said Uganda’s Members of Parliament received Shs300 million each on Thursday as a vehicle grant, but some legislators questioned why the amount was below what they understood had been approved. The report said the funds were paid directly into the accounts of all MPs, including ex-officio members.

According to Nile Post, information it obtained showed the Parliamentary Commission had budgeted Shs315 million for each of more than 550 legislators. That would leave a Shs15 million gap per member, or more than Shs8.2 billion across the House if the higher allocation was the approved figure. The issue reportedly circulated on an MPs’ WhatsApp platform, where members sought an explanation from the Clerk to Parliament, Adolf Mwesigwa.

The grant is meant to support lawmakers in buying vehicles for constituency and official work during the 12th Parliament. Nile Post reported that, by Thursday evening, Parliament had not publicly explained the difference between the amount budgeted and the amount deposited.

The payment comes against a wider public debate in Uganda over the cost of benefits for elected officials. Critics of such spending often argue that large allocations to legislators should be assessed alongside demands in public services such as health, education and infrastructure. The named publisher reported the legislators’ concerns over the Shs15 million difference, but no official response or final accounting for the variance was included in the article.