It has been delivered, Bunge says of 43m/- for Lissu

DAILY NEWS Reporter

Singida East Member of Parliament Tundu Lissu

THE National Assembly has maintained that it had already released the legislators’ 43m/- to the treatment of their Singida East counterpart Tundu Lissu.

The Parliament’s Information, Education and Communications Department, in a statement yesterday, insisted that the money was on September 20, 2017, disbursed to a Nairobi hospital where Mr Lissu is receiving treatment.

The National Assembly further provided evidence of the bank pay-in slip, indicating that the money was delivered through Barclay’s Bank, Hurlringham branch, Account number 0451155318, of the Kenya Hospital Association.

The parliament was reacting to claims by Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA) Chairman Freeman Mbowe that the parliament was not cooperating in ensuring Mr Lissu.

He accused the House of even delaying the disbursement of money raised by legislators for the treatment of the legislator.

Mr Lissu who is also the opposition chief whip in the National Assembly and President of the Tanganyika Law Society (TLS) suffered multiple gunshot wounds on September 7 following attacks by unidentified assailants in the country’s capital, Dodoma on the way to his Area D residence after a parliamentary session.

He was since airlifted to the Nairobi hospital where he is still receiving treatment.

At his maiden press conference in Dar es Salaam since the attack, Mr Mbowe (pictured) maintained that so far 204m/- had been raised from people in and outside the country. “All this money is in our hands except the 43m/- that parliamentarians contributed.

” However, the National Assembly has repeatedly released statements refuting the allegations, which it insists have no any grain of truth.

“The money was disbursed through the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) where as per the banks exchange rate on Wednesday when the money was sent to Nairobi, the 43m/- stood at 1,977,120.58 Kenyan Shillings,’’ a statement released yesterday reads in part.

According to Mr Mbowe, a team of doctors attending to Lissu had assured them that the serious gunshot wounds he sustained during the attack were no longer a threat to his life.

Displaying a medical report issued by nine doctors ranging from orthopaedic trauma surgeons to plastic surgeon specialists, Mr Mbowe said Mr Lissu would one day return home walking on his feet to resume his duties.

Mr Lissu is expected to start a second phase of his treatment, which will involve rehabilitation to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder.