KAMPALA, May 1, 2025 — The Finance Ministry has given in to Parliament’s budget demands after last year’s heated disagreements between the Members of Parliament [MPs] and the executive arm of government over funding priorities.
The Ministry accommodated Shs 3.98 trillion in response to parliament’s recommendations to the draft National Budget for financial year 2025/2026 which begins on July 1, 2025.
However, questions persisted as MPs made repeated requests in the new budget that mirror those in last year’s supplementary allocations.
The Chairman of Budget Committee, Remigio Achia during the meeting with the Ministry’s officials on Tuesday, commended government for acting on parliament’s earlier recommendations.
The MP highlighted allocations to critical sectors such as healthcare, tourism, and commercial diplomacy.
“After the acrimonious disagreement of last year with us, the minister and the president, a number of recommendations we made here have been considered,” Achia said.
“For example, we were very strong on providing Shs100 billion for medicines for health centres. This time, they have taken that recommendation,” he said.
Achia further lauded the Finance Ministry’s decision to allocate some money to the Uganda National Bureau of Standards citing the agency’s pivotal role in advancing agro-industrialisation.
“Previously, the bureau was ignored but now they have been given money for staffing, laboratory equipment and vehicles. This shows we are supporting real agro-industrialisation,” he added.
Other notable improvements in the new budget include funding for the Uganda Development Corporation [UDC] and enhanced support for embassies under a new commercial diplomacy initiative.
“This is the right way to go. Let the embassies showcase our coffee, our products, our life,” Achia said.
The committee however, criticised the Ministry over what he described as recycled budget items.
Achia pointed out that allocations made in January’s supplementary budget including Shs 50 billion for railway rehabilitation and Shs 25.7 billion for Ministry of Lands activities had resurfaced in the new budget under identical justifications.
“That kind of thing makes you wonder whether they think we have lost our minds between January and April. It is the same text in the January supplementary, word for word,” said Achia .
Faith Nakut, the Napak District Woman Representative also raised the concern of the items put in the current budget again appearing in next financial year’s budget.
Responding to the MPs’ concerns, the Minister of State for Finance [General Duties], Henry Musasizi acknowledged the oversight and promised to investigate further.
“I am happy the Committee has identified this it is one of the areas we shall discuss and harmonise. We will look at the work plan, past expenditures and whether the earlier supplementary was even released to the spending agency,” he said.
Musasizi also defended the broader process, emphasising that some recurring items were intentionally included in the main budget to prevent future supplementary requests. “If they are recurrent in nature, this year we have decided to provide for them so that they become part of the budget,” he said.
https://thecooperator.news/budget-analysts-warn-govt-against-poor-debt-management/
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