Parliament
has passed a Shs 52.7 trillion national budget for FY 2023/2024 amidst
protestations from the opposition on accusations that the budget is out
of touch with reality.
The budget which takes effect on July 1,
2023, is scheduled to be read by the Finance minister on June 15. Out
of Shs 52.7 trillion, at least Shs 21.4 trillion is set aside for
statutory expenditure, covering items such as treasury operations
totaling Shs 18.9 trillion, pensions and gratuity for retired civil
servants amounting to Shs 856.2 billion, among others.
Shadow
Finance minister, Muhammad Muwanga Kivumbi faulted the Finance ministry
for failing to itemize and provide for activities under statutory
expenditure, a move he claimed is intended to be used as a window of
fraud. Kivumbi said the budget is overly ambitious and unachievable.
Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs
has been allocated Shs 3.8 trillion while Shs 2.4 trillion has been
allocated to Uganda National Roads Authority (Unra), the bulk of which
is to cover construction of roads. Shs 30 billion was plucked from
Unra's budget following the agency’s failure to rapidly absorb funds
allocated towards the construction of the Hoima-Wanseko road.
Most of the
opposition's protestation came against the allocation of Shs 417.9
billion to State House which the Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju
Nganda deemed as unlawful and luxurious.
"The total budget for the residency of
the presidency in this budget before the second corrigenda was Shs
417.9bn. This means that every day, the president and his family because
they are the ones staying in State House, they spend Shs 1.1bn, they
spend Shs 47.7m per hour and Shs 795,000 per minute. To put it even more
clearly, for every two minutes you can count now, every two minutes,
they are spending Shs 1.5m, every two minutes! This parliament would be
in breach of the constitution if it passes a budget that allows the
president to illegally swim in luxury at the expense of the citizens'
welfare," said Ssemujju.
Ssemujju said the president under the
constitution works or is supposed to work for the sole purpose of
promoting the welfare of citizens, not himself or his family. He
wondered why the president has yet again been allocated another Shs 550
million to buy clothes, the same amount that was allocated to him last
year. The wardrobe allocations come at a time when Museveni has
repeatedly urged Ugandans to promote Ugandan products like him who now
wears shoes and clothes manufactured in Uganda by Nytil.
"Shs 550 million to buy clothes, the
same amount was provided last year. That means that we're spending on
average Shs 1 million on President Yoweri Museveni's clothes every day.
Our president is not a [film] star from Hollywood requiring to change
wardrobe every day. He's a president of a poor country, why buy him
clothes worth Shs 550m every year, what happened to the clothes that
were bought last year?" said Ssemujju.
"The president operates two residences
at Nakasero and Entebbe illegally. That is why his electricity bill at
Shs 500m and water bill at Shs 500m per year is bigger than a bigger
factory like Roofings. Whatever they are manufacturing at State House,
only Allah knows ...We're providing Shs 600 million for furniture, we
provided the same amount last year. This residence has won itself a
place in the history of Uganda. The beds in public health facilities are
not there but the president is buying clothes and furniture every year.
We're providing Shs 7.8 billion for agriculture supplies, we're also
providing another Shs 184 million for veterinary services. Did the
president turn State House into a farm without the knowledge of the
country? Parliament must be sure that we're not the ones funding
President Yoweri Museveni's private farms in Kiozi and Rwakitura...The
president has a duty not to abuse State House but if he chooses to do
so, this parliament is under obligation to stop him," added Ssemujju.
However, Ssemujju was reminded by the
speaker of parliament Annet Anita Among Magogo that allocations to the
"presidency statutory and their money is just like parliament. Money
that is allocated there can only be discussed by a specific committee.
Statutory. Just like you [MPs] don't discuss about your vote of
parliament."
Meanwhile, the MPs rejected a proposed
Shs 8.5 billion request by the directorate of ethics and integrity in
the Office of the President meant to "curb the vice of homosexuality and
pornography among the youth.”
The MPs also rejected an allocation of
Shs 53 billion to police towards a project that in fact had already
closed. National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) had made a
request of Shs 3 billion to purchase milk coolers but the MPs said this
was a duplication since there are other agencies already doing the same.
Shs 8 billion was allocated to the
Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratory for the construction of
the National DNA Data Bank. Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic
Development's request to increase by Shs 10 billion their workshops and
seminars budget and another similar increment of Shs 10 billion to the
ministry’s travel inland vote was rejected by the MPs.
Shs 66 billion was realigned from Uganda
Road Fund and given to Kampala Capital City Authority to cater for
Kampala city’s dilapidated roads and drainage systems, which recently
drew angry social media reactions from Ugandans.
Internal Security Organisation (ISO) was
allocated Shs 13 billion more to support intelligence gathering, while
the External Security Organisation (ESO) has been allocated Shs 5
billion to support intelligence gathering.
Ministry of Health has been given an
extra Shs 18.5 billion for the rehabilitation and maintenance of health
centre IIs and IIIs across the country.
