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The Uganda Human Rights commission is to purchase a boat to monitor human rights violations on islands in the country.
The commission in its bid to acquire the boat has submitted to parliament a budget of 120 million shillings for the project.
Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs chaired by Baka Mugabi ,the Secretary to the Commission Gordon Mwesigye and the Commission’s Commissioner Amooti kabalirye said that they want a boat to help them move on all islands to investigate cases of human rights abuses and carrying out civic education so as people know their rights.
Members of Parliament who include Jova Kamateka and Paul Mwiru querried the cost of the boat, arguing that it’s too expensive for tax payers.
Meanwhile, the Commission and Members of the Legal Committee agreed to push government to create a victim’s compensation fund so that the commission can have money to pay victims in time whose rights will be found violated.
The legislators noted that many victims and their family members die before get their compensation because the funds allocated for this matter are minimal.
The Uganda Human Rights Commission, usually underfunded by government, has cited always cited funding as a factor that prevents it from fulfilling its mandate under the 1995 Constitution of the Republic of Uganda. For instance whereas the Commission wants 5 billion shillings for civic education and monitoring human rights violation in the upcoming general elections in 2016, it has only 300 million shillings.