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Uganda: At Least Follow Right Procedure On the Jet
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The Monitor (Kampala)
EDITORIAL
27 March 2008
Posted to the web 27 March 2008
Kampala
Daily Monitor reported yesterday that government has already paid a deposit of $5 million (about Shs8b) on a new presidential jet government wants to buy for President Museveni.
The jet, a new Gulf Stream 5, will cost the Ugandan taxpayer a staggering $48 million (about Shs85b). The project has apparently not yet gone through the normal approval procedure. While we are still wondering whether a poor country like Uganda must buy such an expensive jet for an already very costly presidency, it is shameful that government does not even have the prudence to go through the normal procedure.
While Ugandans continue to suffer poor healthcare, a collapsed road infrastructure in most parts of the country, it is stupefying that the government finds wisdom in providing a luxury jet to the President and a handful of individuals at the expense of the rest of the population who are sinking in raging poverty.
That government can decide to sidestep laid down procedures and turn its priorities upside down is sad, to say the least. Our leaders ought to have a sense of shame. The issue about a new jet is quite intriguing given that rich countries like Canada and Britain do not have special presidential jets for their heads of state because they deem the undertaking too expensive for no justifiable cause.
But a poor country like Uganda, which begs from the same countries to meet her national budget requirements, finds sense in buying such an expensive jet for her president!
It may be futile to convince the President at this stage to reconsider or rescind his stand on the new jet project. But at least let State House and the Executive in general follow the right procedure. Uganda has been known to lose millions and sometimes billions of shillings in huge transactions through flouting of normal procedures.
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It most cases the reason why procedures are sidestepped is because individuals in government want to profiteer from such transactions. What is the justification for the rush to make this deposit even before the jet purchase has been approved by Parliament? Is there an emergency for such a jet now?
Definitely no. The government has failed to build a heart institute at Mulago, which requires just Shs6b, saying it has no money.
At a cost of Shs6b, the Shs85b can build 14 heart institutes in the country. Imagine how many lives of Ugandans with heart complications would be saved if our dear president decided not to buy that jet!
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