KAMPALA-UGANDA/NEWSDAY: Members of Acholi sub-region have offered to refund Shs 1.7 billion of taxpayers’ money to the consolidated fund so they get Ugandans off the back of speaker of parliament Jacob Oulanyah.
Last week, parliament spent a whooping $500,000 to charter a 252-seater Uganda Airlines Airbus to fly Oulanyah and a few of his family members and caretakers to Seattle, US for specialized treatment. The move that drew angry reactions from a section of Ugandans – at the amount spent on a single individual as well as the persistent neglect and under funding of the country’s healthcare sector which serves the majority of poor Ugandans who can’t be flown out of the treatment like the government officials, moreover at the taxpayers’ expense.
Now, lawmakers hailing from Acholi sub-region in northern Uganda (Acholi Parliamentary Group) on Thursday offered to refund the money after Ugandans in the diaspora took to the streets in Seattle to demonstrate against Oulanyah’s hospital admission. The protestors believed to be allied to the opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) party held placards with wordings: “Officials from Museveni government are not welcome in Seattle.”
“Join our colleagues in Seattle in a peaceful protest against the Uganda dictatorship flying one of their corrupt and brutal officials for medical treatment in the US, while the regime has rundown hospitals in Uganda,” a post on UK Official People Power – NUP Facebook page read.
The protesters congregated at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for the demonstration that started on February 7 chanting, “Jacob Oulanyah, not in Seattle’s backyard,” ridiculing the government for spending Shs 1.7 billion taxpayers’ money on a single individual.
Acholi Parliamentary Group chairperson, Anthony Akol questioned the motive of the demonstration yet several Ugandan dignitaries have been in the past flown abroad and many still continue to be referred overseas for treatment by the Uganda Medical Board. Akol accused the NUP leadership in Kamwokya, Kampala of fueling the protests because they have not officially denounced the unpatriotic deeds of their diaspora supporters.
“In a situation where our speaker was taken for treatment and then NUP organizes people to demonstrate that he should not be treated, this is not the first Ugandan to be taken out of the country. Even as we talk now, there are Ugandans who have been approved by the medical council for treatment and this has been happening for many years. It is a humiliation to the speaker when many Ugandans have been taken for treatment. As a chairman of Acholi Parliamentary Group, I’m not happy and I’m demanding for apology from the Leader of Opposition. I’m not happy, I’m disappointed,” said Akol.
Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the Bardege-Layibi MP in Gulu city described the protest as a barbaric attack on the health and life of the right thinking Ugandans rather than an attack on individual citizens.
“We’re very concerned with the manner in which some people have responded to the matter of our brother honourable Jacob Oulanyah being taken for specialized treatment in the US. We want to condemn the section of Ugandans who think our brother should not get treatment. This is an attack not only on him as an individual, it is an attack on all of us. Honourable Jacob Oulanyah is not the first Ugandan to travel abroad for specialized treatment and so why should he be targeted as an individual?” said Mapenduzi.
Lucy Akello (Amuru District Woman MP) however asserts that they will only refund the money if other previous government dignitaries who were flown abroad to seek specialized treatment are also compelled to refund the money that was spent on them.
“We’re praying hard that it is not NUP that is organizing demonstrations in the US. As I was talking to some of the Acholi leaders, they said if that is the case and the issue is money, then the people of Acholi are willing to start making contributions to refund that money – the Shs 1.7 billion but on condition that every Ugandan that used the taxpayers money also refunds. We’re willing to refund this money and even a child will contribute even Shs 100 from Acholi to save our brother. Blood is thicker than water, we’ll stand with the Rt Hon Oulanyah.” said Akello.
David Lagen, the Agago County legislator expressed surprise that fellow Ugandans who have sought refuge overseas can have the audacity to block their compatriots from seeking treatment given the ailing health facilities back home.
“I’m very surprised on the issue of our speaker. If fellow Ugandans living outside this country stand to condemn fellow Ugandans, this is wickedness. If this was a white person outside condemning, then we would say maybe because they don’t want us to stay in their country, but fellow Ugandans standing against a prominent leader in this country? This is uncalled for. So surely we’re asking for apologies from NUP. We can’t accept this nonsense. We know the state of our healthcare services, we’re not 100% perfect.” Lagen added.
Several officials in the past who sought medical treatment overseas include President Museveni’s eldest daughter Natasha Kainembabazi. She was flown to Germany in September 2003 to give birth to her second born at an estimated cost of £26,000 (Shs 126 million). In August 2021, 82-year-old First Deputy Prime Minister, Moses Ali was flown to Ankara in Turkey to seek better medical treatment on taxpayers’ money.
In March 2019, Rebecca Kadaga Alitwala, the speaker of parliament and now First Deputy Prime Minister and minister of East African Community Affairs was flown out of the country to Aga Khan hospital in Nairobi for specialized treatment. She returned to mock some unnamed people whom she said had been expecting her to die outside under treatment.
In August 2018, Francis Zaake, the Mityana Municipality legislator was also flown to India for specialized treatment of deep wounds he sustained following his torture by Special Forces Command (SFC), an elite unit of UPDF which protects the president.
In 2014, the government spent Shs 270 billion on treatment and Shs 418 billion on travel and upkeep for its patients abroad. In 2016, the government sent 5,000 people for treatment in India following a recommendation by the medical board under ministry of Health, spending over Shs 455 billion
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