Defence seeks Shs1.7t
Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga made a case for his ministry budget. File photo
What you need to know:
Minister says Uganda’s defence budget is the most underfunded in the region.
The Ministry of Defence wants its 2013/14 budget increased by Shs745 billion. Defence Minister Crispus Kiyonga told Parliament that the increase would help the ministry to “contain the unfinanced areas”.
“Our allocation for the next Financial Year is Shs1 trillion. Outside our needs, we have a total of Shs745 billion not financed. We would want a budget of Shs1.7 trillion (about $6.8m) in order to contain the unfinanced areas,” said Dr Kiyonga. He said the ministry often has to ask for supplementary funding because “overall, the [defence] sector is underfunded”.
If Parliament approves the money and it is appropriated, it would be spent on, among others, uniforms, domestic arrears, fuel, electricity, maintenance of vehicles and food. Defence Ministry Permanent Secretary Bengoma, said food items are grossly underfunded. “Food prices have been increasing over the years and yet in the budget, there is nothing to cover those increases,” he said.
The two officials were appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Internal Affairs and Defence to present the ministry’s Budget Framework Paper last week. Dr Kiyonga said Uganda’s Defence budget is lower than Kenya ($594 million annually) and the Sudans ($1, 991 million annually) defence budgets.
However, the two countries Dr Kiyonga referred to have navies, and more defence infrastructure, which cost tidy sums to maintain. Also, Uganda’s brief in the Central African Republic and the DR Congo is largely underwritten by the African Union.
Troops abroad
Ms Rosetti Bengoma said whenever the AU delays to remit money to the Ugandan troops in the two countries, the ministry has to chip in. “We have delays in payment of allowances. Sometimes we have to chip in to pay these people on time. We get the reimbursements later,” she said.
However, the Shadow minister for Defence, Mr Hassan Kaps Fungaroo, said the government should stop sending troops for peacekeeping operations abroad “that bring honour, the spirit of Pan Africanism, but without money”.
“When we sent the troops, the presumption was that they would not be burdensome,” he said.
