The ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has dismissed claims that its Members of Parliament were each paid Shs100 million following a recent retreat at the National Leadership Institute Kyankwanzi.
Reports circulating in the public domain had alleged that NRM-affiliated legislators, along with independent MPs aligned to the party, received the payments at the close of the retreat. However, party officials say the figures are inaccurate.
The NRM Director of Finance and Administration, Hajati Medina Naham, clarified that each participant received Shs20 million as a facilitation.
“We only gave them Shs20 million and not Shs100 million as being discussed,” Naham said.
She further stated that the funds were not sourced from taxpayers but generated internally by the party. According to Naham, the resources came from registration fees collected during recent internal elections, contributions from MPs, and financial support from the party chairman, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
“We are a well-resourced party. We raised funds during the internal elections, and our chairman also contributed,” she added.
The party maintains that the facilitation was drawn from internally generated funds and allocations to political organisations, distancing the expenditure from public resources.
During the Kyankwanzi retreat, leaders participated in orientation sessions focused on patriotism and effective leadership. Naham also revealed that President Museveni used the platform to caution legislators against engaging in corruption.
“The president warned them against corruption in Parliament,” she said.
The clarification comes amid heightened public scrutiny over political spending and accountability.