For many who keep seeking justice and getting disillusioned that it is elusive, you could be looking in the wrong place. Perhaps the clue is condom.
Yes, the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has decided to spend a whopping Shs115 million on teaching its staff how – and when – to use condoms.
You read that right: condoms. The money is part of the president's ambitious ABC policy to fight the spread of HIV, and apparently, no one is immune to the lessons—least of all, the Ministry staff.
Jonathan Odur, the Shadow Minister for Constitutional Affairs, wasted no time in raising his eyebrows (and some questions) about the logic behind this budget.
“Why are we teaching the Ministry staff how to use condoms?” Odur asked, perhaps hoping for a less... hands-on approach.
Minister Nobert Mao, however, wasn’t having any of it. “Our president has been at the forefront of fighting HIV/AIDS, and the Ministry has allocated funds to fight this disease. Condoms are a part of the solution, not a punchline,” Mao retorted, clearly hoping that the message would land better than the proverbial rubber on the road.
In the halls of Parliament, condoms are now as common as budget briefs, with members urged to use them for "preventive measures."
"Let's not trivialize this. The fight against HIV is serious, and so are these funds," Mao insisted, with the kind of seriousness you'd expect from someone handling the law... and, apparently, condom distribution.
While the budget allocation may have left a few eyebrows raised, the Ministry of Justice is clearly committed to its mission of not just keeping the country in line legally, but also in the right kind of protective gear.
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This is an edited version of the earlier published report that carried an erroneous figure.