Singer Catherine Kusasira has responded to a proposal by Kira Municipality MP Ssemujju Nganda to scrap her from the State House payroll. Kusasira, who is a presidential adviser, said she is a “tree with fruits” and that is why she is being targeted.
“The tree with fruits is the one at which stones are thrown,” Kusasira said in an interview. “If Parliament talks about me, Catherine, that means I am a tree that bears fruits. I am not the only adviser. We are many in the country. That means I am a mango that someone can touch and talk about, to get attention from people.”
Kusasira said there are more important things that MPs should be discussing, such as roads, hospitals, and how to empower youth. “Those are the things they should talk about, not my salary,” she said.
Ssemujju’s proposal was made in response to the World Bank’s decision to stop financing Uganda’s national budget after the passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Law. He said that the government needs to cut costs in order to make up for the lost funding.
Kusasira’s response has been met with mixed reactions. Some people have supported her, saying that she is a talented musician who deserves to be paid for her influencer work of empowering the Youth. Others have criticized her, saying that she is being overpaid and that her position is not necessary.
