FDC wants Government to stop buying vehicles for MPs, public officials

The opposition Forum for Democratic Change, FDC party has noted that the idea of gifting free vehicle / free money to MPs is very costly given the larger size of parliament.

Addressing the media at the weekly press conference in Najjanankumbi on Monday, the FDC Party Spokesperson Hon. Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda argued that MPs should be facilitated with interest-free loans to buy vehicles for their needs (to those who would like to buy cars). The money should then be deducted from their allowances.

“At the same time, we propose that all civil servants and public officials should be made to buy their vehicles. Government can also extend interest-free loans to civil servants. We need to go to the Zero fleet policy” he added.

Hon. Nganda says it is wasteful to spend Ugx500m to buy the latest model of a land cruiser for a commissioner who lives in Ntinda, yet he can ride a bicycle.

He added that what Uganda needs adopt a zero fleet method as is done in other countries, where only a few vehicles are bought for field work, not luxurious cars used by officials to carry their wives and children around.

“There can be vehicles for the field, but not luxury vehicles to drive public officials, their wives and children to school. When you look at next financial year’s budget, the budget for vehicle maintenance is Ugx104 billion. At the same time, we are going to spend Ugx244 billion for fuel and a cost of inland travel expenses of Ugx208 billion” Nganda added.