Opposition remain steadfast, says Ssenyonyi

Speaking at an Opposition workshop in Kampala on Friday, LoP Ssenyonyi - whose Shadow cabinet was sworn in two months ago after a shakeup by NUP leadership - said nothing  is going to deter their agenda to serve Ugandans.

KAMPALA | The Leader of Opposition in Parliament (LoP), Joel Ssenyonyi, has vowed to remain steadfast and push ahead with the agenda of offering alternative policies and keeping the government on its toes.

The Opposition has recently come under scrutiny amid fallouts within the main parties, the National Unity Platform (NUP) to which Ssenyonyi subscribes, and the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) that had held the mantle for two decades.

FDC split into two as the pot of accusations and counter-accusations in Najjankumbi boiled and spilled over last year.

A group loyal to Opposition stalwart Kizza Besigye, including former FDC national chairman Wasswa Birigwa and outspoken Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda - has since pitched camp at Katonga Road.

But speaking at an Opposition workshop in Kampala on Friday, LoP Ssenyonyi - whose Shadow cabinet was sworn in two months ago after a shakeup by NUP leadership - said nothing  is going to deter their agenda to serve Ugandans.

Presenting his focus for the next two-and-a-half years as LoP, Ssenyonyi said corruption, wasteful expenditure, poor and inefficient service delivery, respect for the rule of law and human rights, illegal land evictions and sustainable use of natural resources are issues he will not relent on.

"Health workers are poorly remunerated, no wonder they seek employment elsewhere," he said.

Also read: Lubowa hospital contractor overpaid by Shs64 billion

Ssenyonyi said the taxpayers lose more than Shs1 trillion in corruption annually, while service remains wanting, given the poor state roads and scarcity of drugs in health facilities.

"It's time we put money where our mouth is," he said.

Former LoP Mathias Mpuuga made a presentation on programme-based budget, highlighting that there were loopholes in evaluating this budget process as it is difficult to ascertain what has been spent and on what.

"There is a lot of confusion because we are moving from sectors to programme," the MP for Nyendo-Mukungwe Division said.

Meanwhile, the Opposition legislators are scheduled to renew their push for the so-called Lubowa International Hospital to make sense to the taxpayer.

However, the MPs suspect there are hands attempting to frustrate their accountability checks on the hospital that the Auditor General says has cost taxpayers so much for so little work done.

"Billions of shillings have been pumped into this hospital," Ssenyonyi said. " We are coming and no one will stop us."

The planned visit comes after weeks where the LoP and colleagues were forced to hire taxis to carry out their spot-check of roads in Kampala.

"Parliament vans were withdrawn - this goes to show how petty some people can be, but we will not stop," he said.

The Auditor General report says the government has overpaid the controversial Lubowa Specialised Hospital contractor, Finansi International, a staggering Shs64 billion in excess even as there is no tangible work to show for it.

The project has been at a standstill since 2015 and the Auditor General's report, which is set to be presented to Parliament, shows that the project is valued at $57,477,000 (about Shs222 billion) yet Finansi had been paid Shs286 billion.

According to Muwanga Kivumbi, the auditor general, despite the government disbursing eight promissory notes amounting to a total of Shs476.5 billion, the progress on the project stands at just 23 percent.