Mps on the parliamentary committee on public service and local governments have threatened not to approve the budget of the local government ministry if it does not find out money to buy bicycles for the village and parish chairpersons.
This came as the minister of local government Adolf Mwesige told the committee chaired by the woman mp for Zombo district Grace Freedom that government has no money to purchase 34306 bicycles meant for 59 districts which did not get in the first phase where 52 districts benefited.
Mps learnt that government has refused to allocate 8.5 billion shillings to purchase bicycles for 59 districts and its intending to make local council five chairpersons happy by buying each one of them a brand new double cabin pick up worth 100 million shillings at total cost of 11.1 billion shillings.
The announcement by the government to buy vehicles to LC5 chairpersons and ignoring LC1 and parish chairpersons bicycles annoyed some mps on the committee and said that government should find the money for bicycles so as are not tempted to block the ministry’s budget.
Mps who included,mukono municipality mp Betty NamboozeBakirekke ,Namutumba woman mp Florence Mutyabule and kalungu woman mp Florence kintu said that LC1 and parish chairpersons will be bitter to mps if they get to know that LC5 chairpersons were given new vehicles .
Mps said that the purchase of Lc5 vehicles should wait until the bicycles for LC1 are purchased.