The Deputy Speaker of Parliament has revealed that the government loses Shs295m daily as interest and penalties paid to Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) contractors because of failure to pay them on time.
Mr Tayebwa also observed that in 2023, the government legitimately paid and lost Shs26 billion in form of penalties to UNRA contractors yet no one was called to answer for the loss.
“That is only UNRA, without considering other government parastatals like National Water and Sewerage Corporation (NWSC). I don’t want to look at corruption merely from an aspect of money that’s being stolen or money lost illegitimately. There’s also money that government loses legitimately and it is more than what is stolen. But because is it formally and legitimately lost, you (youth) don’t complain about it.
There are also loans, some of which were got in 2010 and are performing at 30 percent and we are paying interest because it (interest) is a statutory provision,” the Deputy Speaker said.
Mr Tayebwa made these remarks on Thursday during an evening fireplace conversation with the youth from different political parties and regions at Ndere Centre in Kampala.
To curb government losses, Mr Tayebwa also warned that it will no longer be business as usual where people in positions of authority and power occupy offices and watch on as the government continues to make losses at the expense of the taxpayers.
“For some decisions to be made, some people demand for kickbacks. Unfortunately, this costs the government a lot of money. If you’re caught, you will be held accountable. On top of compensating for the losses made, you’ll also lose your positions,” the Ruhinda North County MP warned.
Mr Bernard Odoi Onen, the Youth MP for Eastern region and Chairperson of Uganda Parliamentary Forum on Youth Affairs, said fireplace conversations are a platform where the youth freely and without fear of contradiction, demand or ask hard questions to leaders in different positions of government, business, and civil society.
“When such opportunities are opened for the youth, it means we are taking leadership to the core of the population. They openly speak about issues that affect them and get immediate responses and it is better than watching MPs deliberate issue of national interest on TV. It is also an opportunity for leaders to get back to their people and understand the nitty-gritties that affect them locally on a daily basis,” Mr Odoi said.
Mr Primus Atukwatse Bahiigi, the Country Director of the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD) said fireplace conversations are spaces where formalities are broken to allow free sharing of knowledge from experienced leaders to aspiring leaders.
“These are spaces of meaningful constructive dialogue and they are made up of youth from different political divides from different regions of the country. This way, the youth begin to appreciate that despite of the different political ideologies and religious differences, they can come together and discuss critical issues that shape the future of this country,” Bahiigi said.
An idea that started with the eleventh Parliament, fireplace conversations are a form of political mentorship spaces to aspiring youth leaders through to acquaint them with political ideologies and knowledge to prepare them for effective participation in Uganda’s politics.
