KADAGA IS RIGHT TO PUSH GOVERNMENT TO FORMALISE THE PAYMENTS OF BENEFITS OF ALL FORMER LEADERS
Muhereza Kyamutetera
Executive Editor @ CEO East Africa Magazine | Communications Strategy
On April 1st 2021, tweeted: “I've directed the Public Service Minister to moot a comprehensive law on emoluments of Uganda's former leaders; including Speakers. We shouldn't depend on ex-gratia payments as is currently the case. People who served this country deserve better.”
This tweet has attracted a lot of public attention, especially online. Many of the people commenting on the tweet have misunderstood, the Rt. Hon. Speaker’s tweet to mean, she is pushing for her and her deputy’s benefits.
But in fact, far from that, she, instead is rooting for the benefits of other ex-leaders other than herself and her deputy. Which benefits to date remain unpaid. The Parliamentary Pensions (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 2011 already comprehensively covered the retirement packages of H.E Edward Ssekandi, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga and Rt. Hon. Jacob Oulanyah.
What Rt. Hon. Kadaga is rooting for is other leaders who served before 2011, namely: Speakers (Francis Butagira, The Late James Waphakabulo, The Late Francis Ayume) and Former D/Speakers (The Late Betty Okwir and Hajji Moses Kigongo).
The benefits of these former Speakers and Deputy Speakers remain unpaid and unlegislated for since the Parliamentary Pension Scheme wasn't fully operational then. Worse still, there is no clear legal framework to have them paid. What the Speaker is rooting for is a clear legal framework for budgeting and paying the benefits of former leaders- Presidents, Vice Presidents, Prime Ministers, Parliament Speakers and Deputy Speakers.
Kadaga’s comments, followed a presentation by the State, Minister of Public Service, Hon. Karubanga David on April 1st 2021 in which he updated Parliament on the status of the fulfilment of the government's obligations to former leaders. It is from this statement that the Speaker called for an urgent need to have a formal and consistent legal framework for paying the benefits of former leaders.
According to Hon. Karubanga, on the 16th of December 2009, the then 2nd Deputy Prime
Minister And Minister Of Public Service presented to the then Cabinet, proposals for payment of retirement benefits to former Presidents, Vice Presidents, Prime Ministers,
Speakers and Deputy Speakers of Parliament.
Under Minute 581 (CT 2009) (5) Cabinet deferred the proposal and instead advised
that the President uses his discretion to extend ex-gratia payments to all the former
leaders whose retirement benefits were not previously legislated for.
H.E. the President subsequently directed that former Presidents be paid a one-off ex-gratia payment of UGX1 billion each and 333,000,000/= for the three titular Heads under Presidential Commission that had a shared Presidency comprising of Justice P. Nyamuchoncho (RIP), Justice Saulo Musoke (RIP) and Yoweri Hunter Wacha Olwol (RIP).
Former Vice Presidents were to recieve UGX400,000,000; former Prime Ministers UGX200,000,000; former Speakers, UGX350,000,000 and former Deputy Speakers, UGX300,000,000.
Other than the three titular heads, above- the other former presidents to receive benefits, include:
The late Sir Edward Muteesa; the late Dr. Apollo Milton; the late Idi Amin Dada; the late Yusuf Kironde Lule, the late Godfrey Lukongwa Binaisa and the late Okello Lutwa.
Former Vice Presidents include: The late W.W.W Nadiope, the late John Babiiha, the late Wilson Gad, the late Dr. Samson Kisekka and the late Paulo Muwanga. Former Prime Ministers are: the late Eng. Abraham Waliggo, the late George Cosmas Adyebo, the late Eric Otema Alimadi and Mr. Kintu Musoke.
Former Deputy Speakers are: Butagira Francis, the late James Wapakabhulo and the late Francis Ayume while the former Deputy Speakers are: the late Betty Okwir and Hajji Moses Kigongo.
It is important to understand why the Speaker is pushing for a more formalised method for paying the benefits of these former government leaders instead of the current ex gratia.
Ex-gratia payments, like the name suggests, are payments made out of favour, in this case out of the sitting president’s kindness or grace.
What the Rt. Hon. Kadaga is advocating for, is that there should be a “more comprehensive law on emoluments of Uganda's former leaders; including speakers and deputy speakers.” And she rightly says that former leaders “shouldn't depend on ex-gratia payments as is currently the case” and that “people who served this country deserve better” than being at the mercy of the sitting president.
I really do not see anything wrong with that. It is the right thing to do. Rt. Hon Kadaga should be applauded for this move.