The Kitgum woman MP Hon Lilian Aber has come out to criticize the media for portraying MPs as rich people yet they are not. Hon Aber said that MPs spend a lot and in a day can spend over 1m shillings.
She further added that the MPs deal with a lot of problems in their constituencies that don’t even fall under their jurisdictions yet they have to address them.
The MP also highlighted how people were growling about the 200m shillings a few months ago that was given to MPs to purchase cars.
Aber said that Commissioners on the other hand were given 400m shillings to buy cars and also given a driver. According to the MP, when an MP buys a car of 100m shillings, the rest goes back to Parliament in form of taxes.
“The media portrays MPs as rich people. From morning to evening, an MP spends UGX 1,000,000 to address some of the issues in the constituency, you can’t address all.
People were complaining about the UGX 200 million we were given for cars but commissioners are given about UGX 400 million for cars and a driver. For Members of Parliament, we have to pay our drivers.
If you want to buy a car of UGX 100 million, you have to part with taxes of UGX 80-UGX 90 million. This money goes back to government. MPs are seen as donors. On a daily, we have to send money for burials, sick people etc,” She said.
