Uganda parliament budgets $20,000 funeral for each MP

Uganda’s parliament has initiated modalities to ensure that members of the national assembly who die are given befitting burials.

The parliament has planned to spend 67.7 million shillings on burial for each Member of Parliament (MP) who dies. The amount equates to approximately $20,000.

They have subsequently invited bids to identify service providers interested in offering the funeral service, the local news portal, Daily Monitor reports.

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The portal further reports that, the Parliament had budgeted for an estimated five deaths in this year. The amount to be spent on funerals thus hovers around 338,000,000 shillings (equivalent to $100,000)

Public Relations director of the parliament defends the decision to foot funeral bills of MPs. She says it was not a new thing but it had now been formally budgeted for.

“The Parliamentary Commission caters for funeral expenses of its staff and members of Parliament. We have to pre-qualify service providers because it is government money and we have been doing it all along,” Helen Kaweesa is quoted by local media to have said.

A break down of the 67.7 million shillings funeral expense

• Shs 6m for a state-of-the-art casket rated as American Casket
• Shs 5.5m for the grave
• Shs 4.5m for Order of Service books,
• Shs 15m on feeding mourners and
• Shs 17.5m on allowances for police.