Speaker of Parliament Anita Among has urged Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja, the Leader of Government Business in Parliament, to secure funds within the Parliamentary Commission budget to cover medical treatment abroad and burial expenses for former Members of Parliament (MPs).
Speaker Among made the appeal during Wednesday’s plenary sitting while responding to a concern raised by Kapchorwa Woman MP Phyllis Chemutai. Chemutai had requested government assistance in repatriating the remains of Samuel Kiprotich, a Ugandan PhD student in Food Science and Technology at the University of Minnesota, USA, who had passed away unexpectedly.
“We may need to lobby for funds for former MPs to receive medical treatment abroad and for their burials. You really need to take it up so that we have it in the next budget. It has become a very big burden,” Among stated.
This proposal comes amid mounting concerns over the cost of healthcare and funeral expenses for both serving and former MPs.
In June 2020, reports revealed that the 10th Parliament had awarded medical insurance contracts to four service providers to cover MPs, parliamentary staff, and their dependents. Under the scheme, MPs above 70 years were allocated Shs2 million each, while those below 70 received Shs1.2 million annually. Expanding these benefits to former MPs would further escalate Parliament’s medical expenditures.
The call for additional funding comes at a time when the Parliamentary Commission’s budget is set to decline.
According to the 2025/26 National Budget Framework Paper, Parliament’s budget will drop to Shs833.5 billion from Shs978.6 billion in the 2024/25 financial year.
This looming budget reduction raises questions about whether Parliament can afford to expand its financial obligations, particularly in covering medical and funeral expenses for former MPs.
