Bbale County Member of Parliament, Charles Tebandeke, has protested the government’s increasing appetite for loans amidst the country’s skyrocketing debt.
This comes as the Parliament’s Committee on National Economy considered two loan proposals with one worth 69 billion shillings from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa for the construction of the Nebbi–Goli Road, while another worth 468.9 billion shillings from Standard Chartered Bank for the construction of oil roads.
Tebandeke questioned why the government was presenting these loan requests at a time when the country is preparing for elections, noting that legislators would not have sufficient time to scrutinize them thoroughly.
However, the Chairperson of the Committee, John Bosco Ikojo, together with other MPs, dismissed Tebandeke’s concerns, arguing that it is the duty of Parliament to scrutinize all loan proposals brought before it noting that these loans are meant for the implementation of the budget.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija, defended the loan requests, saying they are intended to support Uganda’s ongoing development efforts by improving access to key social infrastructure.
