Plans are in the offing by a section of opposition MPs to strip all public servants of cars, in a move aimed at ‘saving the nation from exorbitant expenditure’.
Spearheaded by Ibrahim Semujju Nganda, the Kira Municipality MP, the group tabled a motion seeking Parliament to review the policy of provision of vehicles to Government, Public and Civil servants.
In the motion, Semujju Nganda wants the vehicles to be saved for the President, Vice President, Speaker of Parliament, Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Leader of the Opposition in Parliament, Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice, Government and have the provision of cars to the rest abolished.
The legislator also demanded to have government sell all its current fleet of vehicles to the current users at the current value. Additionally, the MP also wants that in case the current users aren’t in position to buy the vehicle, Government should immediately auction it.
Instead of having tax payers pay for the vehicles of the public and civil servants, Ssemujju Nganda wants Government to extend car loans to entitled public servants, and any loan taken should be recovered from the salary and allowances of the individual officer over a period of four years.
If adopted, the new plan will ensure that loans are also extended to teachers and medical workers to acquire cars.
While supporting his motion, Semujju Nganda noted that the need to review the vehicle provision was as a result of the number of leaders such as Ministers, MPs, Local Council V Chairpersons and Presidential Advisors, Local Governments, RDCs, Civil Servants that has drastically increased.
He noted that the matter has worsened with the increase in number of Commissions, Authorities and State Enterprises that has also increased, requiring Government to spend billions of shillings on motor vehicle purchase annually.
He cited a case in which Government is set to spend She185 billion and additional Shs99 billion on the purchase and maintenance of vehicles, fuel, oil and lubricants.
The motion that was seconded by Wilfred Niwagaba and Latif Ssebagala is set to be debated when Parliament resumes business on January 30, 2017.
