The Uganda Parliamentary Savings and Credit Cooperative Organisation (SACCO) is holding funds belonging to at least 34 deceased MPs, including former Kawempe South MP Muhammad Ssegirinya.
The money remains inaccessible due to disputes among individuals claiming to be spouses of the deceased legislators.
Buvuma County MP Robert Migadde, who chairs the Parliamentary SACCO, revealed this during the organisation’s Annual General Meeting on 28 November 2025.
He explained that gaps in member records, coupled with multiple claims from spouses, have made it difficult to release the funds.
“Some members didn’t fill in their bio-data forms or indicate their next of kin. In other cases, a husband dies and you find four, five, or even six spouses fighting for the same resources. We find it very difficult to decide who should receive the money,” he said.
Migadde noted that Ssegirinya’s case is particularly complicated, adding that even condolence contributions from MPs, with each contributing shs 300,000, remain untouched.
“We continue to encourage members to update their bio-data clearly indicating their next of kin to facilitate processing of their benefits,” he added.
Presenting the SACCO’s performance, Migadde reported strong growth over the past five years. Loans and advances increased from shs 7.96 billion in 2020/21 to shs 25 billion by June 2025.
Savings grew from shs 17.1 billion to shs 58 billion, while share capital rose from shs 3.3 billion to shs 5.7 billion within the same period.
The SACCO has recruited additional staff to reduce delays in loan processing.
“We do our best to process loan requests within five hours, and we intend to maintain that,” Migadde said.
Methods Mureebe, the SACCO’s CEO, explained that a proposal to invest in government bonds has not been implemented because MPs require high liquidity, especially during election periods.
“Once you put money in bonds, you tie it there for a long time. The Board is conscious not to lock away funds when members may need them in the short run,” he said.
Migadde added that the Board is advocating for an extension of the tax waiver on SACCO income, which is set to expire in 2027.
“All SACCOs look up to the Parliamentary SACCO when it comes to lobbying and advocacy. We are already engaging others to ensure the waiver is extended,” he said.
The AGM also revealed that the SACCO earned a profit of shs 2 billion from compensation paid by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) in Mityana.
