For some MPs, a sense of normalcy and calm at home has become an elusive commodity. Every morning, constituents hard pressed by the COVID-19 lockdown camp at the lawmakers' homes.
"Every morning I wake up when my compound is full to the brim. My house is like a barracks of sorts. If I knew it was going to be like this, I think I would never have joined politics," one MP said.
The moment President Museveni issued the nationwide stay-at-home orders, politicians around the country started paying the price. This price is so steep for MPs staying in urban constituencies.
Interviewed for this story, Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda (Kira Municipality), Betty Nambooze (Mukono municipality), Asuman Basalirwa (Bugiri municipality), Michael Kabaziguruka (Nakawa Division), Zaake Francis (Mityana municipality) all agreed on one thing; 'this is the worst time to be an MP.'
"I have put a plastic chair in my compound because every after three to five minutes, there is somebody or a group knocking; they have nothing to eat. In the first days I would sit in my home office to read but now I can't," Ssemujju said.
He said he is inundated with calls from constituents every day.
"Today [Friday] military people came and asked my constituents why they are crowding at my gate? These days I wake up, dress up and sit, whoever knocks, I open and give them food. If President Museveni wants to arrest me he should come because he locked people down and never sent food," Ssemujju said.
Whoever knocks at his door, Ssemujju hands out a two-kilogram pack of maize flour.
"There was a man with disability who came here. He was shaking; he had not eaten for two days. Even if you have a bad heart, the poor sight of these people will break you down. But I don't want anyone to incite them because if they come in big numbers, they will finish all the kawunga in a short time," Ssemujju said.
He said his friend Kampala Lord Mayor, Erias Lukwago bought sacks of rice and put them at his gate in Wakaliga. Whoever comes is given a kilo or two.
Interviewed, Betty Nambooze said, "Knowing that I was only staying with my husband and house helps I have a small budget when children are at school. I had set aside funds and time to organize my campaigns and those of other local politicians I work with in Mukono but all that was relegated." She said her daily routine now is attending to people's problems.
"I'm the doctor, I'm the bank manager, I'm the ambulance manager, we literary take every sick person to hospital because all of them can only move by ambulance due to the ban on public transport. Normally I have two drivers but now I have four because they work 24 hours," Nambooze said, adding that her people need a lot of counseling to manage their stress levels. Kabaziguruka said his home looks like a barracks of sorts every morning.
He said people mob his home begging for assistance. He said hungry mobs of people forced him to team up with the government Taskforce distributing food in Kampala.
"I wake up every morning and rush to the centers where the food is being distributed to see how I can expedite the process so that everybody who needs assistance gets this relief food from government," he said.
"We request the UPDF and other security agencies to supply more manpower because people are doing very badly," Kabaziguruka said.
When government said the beans were over, Kabaziguruka proposed they go ahead and distribute maize flour only.
"I reached the extent of telling them to give us only the posho we forego the beans because people are hungry we can't wait for the beans," Kabaziguruka said.
Asuman Basalirwa, who is quite far from his Bugiri constituents is not at peace either.
"People are in very bad shape; you can't believe it that even here in Kampala where I'm not an MP people flock my place," he said
"The lockdown has badly impacted the lives of our people so their refuge is MPs. I have never received such requests in such big numbers than I have in the last two weeks," Basalirwa says.
He said if he's to answer all his phone calls he would get a hearing defect.
"I represent a municipality where there are similar activities like in Kampala, the effect in urban areas cuts across. We need a quick intervention," Basalirwa said.
The youthful Francis Zaake was arrested distributing food to his constituents.
"For me, they don't only stop at coming at my home but they go to my mother, my father and all my relatives they know. I bought a sack of maize flour and sugar so whoever comes at least goes with a kilo," Zaake said.
He said people are looking for him on all social media platforms.
"Even when you post something on Facebook, they will comment by asking for help. It's not like they are begging like before, they are genuine; they need help because they are really badly off," Zaake said.
Then come the Shs 20 million
Last week it came to light that MPs had allocated themselves Shs 10 billion as part of the Shs 304bn supplementary budget that was passed to mainly deal with Covid-19. Some MPs like Zaake, Nathan Nandala Mafabi and Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu have already indicated they will return the money.
"Indeed in a country run properly it would be improper for MPs to give themselves that money. In fact we should be passing a resolution reducing our emoluments but we all know that the money, which goes through the centre, will not get to our people. So for me, the people of Mukono will get the Shs 20 million. In the circumstances where I have kids dying of hunger flocking my home, I would be very cruel to say I'm taking it back. Actually I want to appeal to them to increase the amount," Nambooze said.
Ssemujju equally said he was grateful that speaker of parliament sanctioned the money at such a time.
"I want to thank her and tell her to please add us more because we are overwhelmed," Ssemujju said.
For his part, Basalirwa says his party Jeema is still split on whether he should take the money.
"Some are saying it's a moral issue; take it back. But in the constituency, there is only one view, we can't starve when there is money," Basalirwa said.
Kabaziguruka said, "I have done my arithmetic and the Shs 20 million can only buy eight tonnes of maize flour. Even if I'm to distribute a kilogram to each person, I would only be able to help 8000 people but I have a population in excess of 500,000 people. From the outset, I think its money I wouldn't want to associate myself with."
For Zaake, a wrong is a wrong no matter the circumstance. He said he cannot be conscripted into committing an illegality.
"I have already written to parliament to return this money if it comes. This money was passed without debate amidst protest from some of us. On the very day it was passed, we heard rumors that we should pass the government's supplementary budget and in return they also give us something. To me, this was a bribe and there is no way I can take that money," Zaake said.
bakerbatte@observer.ug
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