Activists Disagree on Use of shs 44.9 Million Surplus from March To Parliament Fundraiser

March to Parliament logistics volunteers have revealed that they are stuck with shs 44.9 million.

The revelations were made by digital activist Agather Atuhaire, whose NGO Agora Discourse has been at the center of mobilization. The march to Parliament was a protest rallied by youths on Twitter in response to reported corruption in the house.

This was sparked by revelations of Parliamentary Commissioners allocating themselves shs 1.7 billion as service awards. Furthermore, the arrest of five MPs on corruption-related charges set the pace for mild protests on July 23. To quell the protest, police apprehended 60 youths that were remanded to Luzira Group of Prisons for over a week.

Following their arrest, Agora Discourse and other volunteers led a fundraising drive to raise money to support their prisoners. This money was meant to secure legal services, among other essential items.

According to the accountability report, Atuhaire received shs 32,478,430 and USD 200. Similarly, another activist, Misheline Mutuzo, received shs 13,563,00 and Dr. Otile Jacob shs 5,735,070. City Lawyer One received shs 3.1 million.In total, the fundraiser raised shs 54,876,500. However, the team used only shs 9,930,300 for the logistics.

These logistics included shopping for the prisoners, buying fuel, and searching for missing persons. They also took care of the bail charges and transportation of a number of sureties. Following the revelation of a balance of shs 44.9 million, a number of protesters who have since posted bail disagreed on what to use it for.

With court proceedings still on, there was a suggestion to keep the money until processes are done. However, some activists called for utilizing the money to solve individual challenges, including rent. They argued the week-long detentions at Luzira have since financially burdened them. With the government having castigated the protests as financially backed by foreign interests, it remains a challenge for the protesters’ next course of action.

“Agather, I think you owe Ugandans an apology for lying and spreading half-truths. You didn’t like it when I called you to account for 1M USD in April that Agora received.” Activist Cynthia Choco asks Agora for accountability.