The parliamentary budget committee has set new conditions for the procurement of the 5 million radio sets out of the 9 million for the school going children lockdown due to covid virus.
The committee chaired by Ntenjeru north mp Amos Lugolobi resolved that five million radio sets will be procured locally and supplied to the beneficiaries after 60 to 90 days after signing the contract and the other 5 million will be imported.
The ministry of education permanent secretary Alex Kakooza told the committee that four companies have been identified to import the radios at a unit cost of between 33, 925 shillings and 42,182 shillings.
The members are concerned about the variation in price for buying of these radios which could be expensive to tax payers.
The ministry of education permanent secretary Alex Kakooza said that they have not inflated the cost for radios ,adding that they are using the market price .
The committee members said that the ministry of finance should avail to the committee the commitment of the budget to implement the program.
The committee will have a spot-on visit in Namanve industry Park to ascertain the capacity of the local company the government is claiming that it’s going to produce 5 Million Radios locally.
The officials, led by the state minister for higher education Dr .John Chrysostom Muyingo and State minister for planning state David Bahati while appearing before the committee defended the funds meant for purchasing the Radios.
Dr. Muyingo wanted the committee to also approve funds of a foreign contractor for provision of the remaining radios since local suppliers have no capacity to produce the radios in the required time .
However, some mps who include Butambala County MP Muhammad Kivumbi West Budama north mp Richard Othieno and Rwampara mp Patrick Ngabirano said that the money for buying radios for learners at home should have been used for the construction of more classrooms for schools since the e-learning is a temporary issues which is taking a huge sum of money that have helped children who are still studying under trees.
The Committee also tasked the State minister JC Muyingo to explain to the MPs when all schools will be re-opened.
Muyingo told the committee that the school Inspectors are making on spot visits to schools to verify whether all the standard operating procedures.
He said that the scientists and ministry of Health are also carrying on a study so see whether it will be possible to come up with a date for the opening of the schools.
