URF Releases Shs93b to Districts, Cities, and Municipalities For Road Maintainace

Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has announced the release of Shs500 million to districts, cities, and municipalities from the Uganda Road Fund. This allocation marks the final payment for this financial year.

During the start of plenary on Wednesday, 24 April 2024, Speaker Among tasked Members of Parliament with supervising the utilization of these funds, emphasizing their role in ensuring transparency and accountability. “I hope you will go to your constituencies and monitor the funds,” she urged.

The Government Chief Whip, Hon. Denis Hamson Obua, confirmed the release, noting that it comes in response to mounting complaints regarding the state of mainly feeder roads.

However, MP Francis Mwijukye (FDC, Buhweju County) cautioned against diverting the funds to maintain district road equipment, warning that such actions would detract from much-needed road improvement projects.

The government allocated 1 billion Shillings for the financial year 2023/2024 for each district, 10 cities, and 31 municipalities in a bid to improve the condition of roads including urban and community roads which is aimed at enhancing rural accessibility and working environments in urban areas.

In addition to addressing infrastructure matters, Speaker Among used the occasion to condemn recent news reports alleging impropriety on the part of Parliament and MPs, particularly concerning the ongoing rationalization process.

“MPs legislate for their constituents, for the people; nobody was bribed…how can you bribe the whole House? What did they want to achieve? Do they want the public to hate Parliament?” Speaker Among vehemently refuted the allegations, urging fair and professional reporting by the media.

She expressed concern over the alarmist nature of the headlines, emphasizing the potential damage to the reputation of MPs without specific references or substantiated claims.

Speaker Among called for responsible journalism and urged the media to uphold fairness and accuracy in their reporting on parliamentary affairs.