Government will rack up as much debt as it wills; not so the poor citizen

Joachim Buwembo says Uganda’s Parliament loses as many as 70 percent of its members at each five-year election, leaving many incoming MPs unaware that a sudden rise in lifestyle costs can lead to debt. Some indebted lawmakers reportedly hide within Parliament, where moneylenders, banks and car dealers cannot have them detained for civil debt. A former Ugandan president said intelligence reports showed that only about 70 of roughly 500 MPs were debt-free, which he considered a security risk. Buwembo questions what hope ordinary citizens have of managing their finances if even highly paid lawmakers cannot live within their means.