Kampala — THE Government has been told to scrap the sh10m Constituency Development Fund given to MPs annually.

The MP for Buyaga in Kibaale district, Barnabus Tinkasimire, said: "I am one of the people who have asked the Government to stop giving us that money. It gives us a bad image. The voters keep demanding accountability wherever we go."

He was speaking at a consultative meeting with his electorate at Kagadi Model Primary School in Kagadi town on Saturday. He said the MPs were not accounting officers, adding that the money should instead be channelled to districts to help in the maintenance of roads, rehabilitation of bridges and other infrastructure.

"You cannot create an accounting centre at an administrative centre. You must only have an accounting centre at a decision making level like at the sub-county and district," Tinkasimire advised.

He was reacting to concerns raised by Buyaga county leaders who demanded accountability for the sh10m, which he received for the last financial year.

Tinkasimire told the local leaders that some of the funds had been used to sponsor needy secondary school students. He also said the rest of the money would be used to buy goats for Women and Youth groups to help them fight poverty.

According to the Parliament guidelines, members who fail to account for the fund have to pay back the full amount.