National Unity Platform (NUP) boss Robert Kyagulanyi alias Bobi Wine is furious with his Members of Parliament for accepting a secret cash bonanza of 40 million shillings.

Mp’s who prefer anonyimity allege that the cash was served to them on a silver platter over the weekend from Parliament and at the Speaker’s residence. Opposition Mps got their share on Sunday from the Speaker’s residence while their NRM colleagues were served at Parliament.

Bobi Wine has directed the handful of legislators who picked the money to return it immediately, without fail. He told a meeting that was attended by about 25 MPs .

“He was very furious with us saying we have betrayed the people who trusted us. He then asked that those who received the money should return it within two days,” an MP who preferred anonymity said

Kyagulanyi has demanded that the money is taken back through the Leader of Opposition Mathias Mpuuga .

Joel Ssenyonyi the spokesperson of NUP who is also the MP for Nakawa West confirmed that indeed they had a crisis meeting in which three MPs of those present admitted to taking the money.

“…We got to learn that indeed MPs got money and we called our members for a meeting. We were extremely furious with them. We gave them chance to explain and some say that they were hoodwinked. But we told them there is everything wrong with this money. MPs receive their salary through their bank accounts. For you to be called to go to Anita Among’s home in the middle of the night to pick money, there is everything wrong with it,” Ssenyonyi said.

“Some MPs confessed that indeed they had taken the money. However, they reasoned that they were misled into thinking that it was legitimate money from parliament,” he said

Other bold legislators claim they refused the cash once they were approached. Kassanda South MP Frank Kabuye says he declined on grounds that it wasn’t clean.

“There is no way you can say that commodity prices have increased, that State House is being allocated a lot of money yet at the same time you are accepting money whose source is not known. We are still young people we have a duty to this country. I know the situation is very harsh for everybody including MPs but some of us we shall not accept blood money,” Kabuye said.

However, Chris Obore, the Director for Communication at the Parliament of Uganda denied that MPs were given any money.  He said sometimes MPs drum up such stories when they have disagreed politically on something and want to tarnish the name of the speaker.

“I can tell you, there is no way parliament can pay MPs in cash; never. Under which law? Which bank can you withdraw that money from? If they have been given money then it is not from the parliamentary Commission account,” Obore said.

He explained that the only money that parliament allocated itself to cater for unfunded priorities like the buying of the speaker and deputy speaker’s cars, was the  193 billion Shillings which was highlighted in recent weeks.

He explained that the Ministry of Finance submitted a budget and when MPs exercised their appropriation responsibility, they discovered that the ministry had allocated lots of money to sectors which would not help the economy.

This included 1.8trillion Shillings which was taken from the treasury operations and reallocated to the Ministry of Education, Immigration, ISO, ESO and Ministry of Works among others.

For his part, Joseph Sabiti who speaks for Speaker Anita Among denied that her home was used as a distribution centre. “The speaker doesn’t handle MPs payments; they are handled by the Finance office. She also doesn’t give out money at her residence what they are saying is not true,” Sabiti said.