Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has highlighted the need for a helicopter for Parliament, which she said will facilitate oversight visits.
Kadaga was speaking at a thanksgiving for new State Minister for Economic Monitoring in the Office of the President, Hon Molly Nawe Kamukama.
The Speaker’s itinerary was disrupted after a privately charted helicopter lost track while airborne, landing in Mubende instead of Kazo, its intended destination.
Kadaga said the private helicopter had to be used since the army and police choppers are deployed to fight against desert locusts that have hit North Eastern Uganda.
“You know I have delayed because we normally use the army or police helicopters; but since they are being used to fight the desert locusts, we had to use a privately chattered helicopter that instead landed us in Mubende,” she said.
She then prodded Parliament Commissioner, Hon Arinaitwe Rwakajara, also present at the function, to pursue the idea.
“…the issue of the plane; I hope Hon Rwakajara is listening,” she said.
Financial constraints on the part of the Parliamentary Commission have seen the shelving of the idea to procure a chopper for ease of the principles’ travel in the country-side.
Thanks Museveni
The Speaker appreciated President Museveni for promoting Kamukama from civil service right into Cabinet.
“I thank the President for elevating Hon Kamukama from being a civil servant who is given directives to now a decision maker who will be consulted before decisions are made,” she said.
Kadaga asked young Ugandans to emulate Kamukama’s example.
“I have looked at Molly’s CV…she was an ordinary person but has succeeded; I want our children to use her as an example to believe in themselves that they can also succeed,” she said.
Kadaga promised to support Kazo, a new District curved out of Kiruhura, to access roads equipment, get seed schools and elevate the current Kazo Health Centre IV to a hospital in line with government policy.
Minister Kamukama, formerly President Museveni’s Principal Private Secretary, was named Minister in a December 2019 Cabinet reshuffle.
“I appreciate President Museveni for appointing me Minister; I thank him for taking care of me,” she said.
The function was attended by dignitaries from the judiciary, diplomatic corps and high power delegations from neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Kenya.
Ministers Wilson Muruli Mukasa (Public Service), Ernest Kiiza (Bunyoro Affairs), Baltazar Kasirivu Atwooki (Vice President’s Office), Grace Kwiyucwiny (Northern Uganda) and Beatrice Atim Anywar (Environment) were in attendance.
Area MP Gordon Bafaki (NRM, Kazo) led colleagues Paul Amoru (NRM, Dokolo North) and Arinaitwe Rwakajara (Workers) to the function.