Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) has asked Government to give it billions of Shillings to enable it purchase new vehicles to help in promotion of human rights in the country.
The UHRC, whose Chairperson is Mariam Wangadya (formerly at the Inspectorate of Government), had asked the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MoFPED) to extend billions to it for the purchase up to 43 brand new cars.
The purpose of the vehicles was to help in the monitoring of the human rights situation in the country, according to Fox Odoi, the Chairperson Parliament’s Human Rights Committee.
But the Finance Ministry has declined the request by UHRC on grounds that government had made it clear that the purchase of vehicles for the 2023-2024 Financial Year had been frozen.
Government will only allow the purchase of hospital ambulances, vehicles for medical supplies, agricultural extension services and revenue mobilization in the current financial year.
Besides announcing a freeze on purchase of vehicles, travel abroad and on salary increment, there were reports that Museveni’s government was considering cutting salaries of public servants after threats to by the US government and World Bank to freeze funding and loans over the Anti-Homosexuality Act. (See Details Here and There).
The request came at a time main opposition National Unity Platform (NUP) has reignited calls for the state to account for missing Ugandans, with security agencies being accused of kidnapping those opposed to the NRM regime.
The UHRC is also under fire for claiming that NUP was milking political capital out of the complaints on missing supporters.
Meanwhile, Museveni’s government is under panic and pressure after US President Joe Biden announced he was removing Uganda from the list of beneficiaries under the AGOA trade deal. Museveni has already sent top officials to meet US envoys in South Africa so they can beg Biden to reverse his decision removing Uganda from AGOA. (See Details Here and There).
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