Prime
Land probe seeks extra Shs3 billion
President Museveni extended the tenure of the seven-member commission by 18 months after its initial six-month term expired in May 2018. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- President Museveni extended the tenure of the seven-member commission by 18 months after its initial six-month term expired in May 2018.
The 18 months-extension expires in November.
The government on Thursday tabled a supplementary budget before parliament to allocate Shs3 billion to the Commission of Inquiry into Land Matters chaired by Justice Catherine Bamugemereire.
The Minister of State for Planning, Mr David Bahati said they received a request for extra funding from the commission after they exhausted their budget of Shs10 billion that was allocated to them in July 2018.
“Mr Speaker (Oulanya), the commission of inquiry has so far been given over Shs10 billion and we are adding them extra Shs3 billion. According to Justice Bamugemereire, they have saved close to Shs1trillion out of dubious deals they have managed to stop,” Mr Bahati submitted.
The commission’s lead counsel Mr Ebert Byenkya said they intend to use this extra funding to clear salary arrears of staff and commissioners that have accumulated since January this year.
The commission has received about 7,000 complaints and held 600 hearings since last year.
Due to underfunding, Mr Byenkya said that the probe has not been able to travel to upcountry areas like Karamoja and West Nile to conduct investigations or even send teams to various sites for investigations.
He added that the commission needs at least Shs1 billion each month to be able to operate effectively.
President Museveni extended the tenure of the seven-member commission by 18 months after its initial six-month term expired in May 2018.
The 18 months-extension expires in November.
