Members of Parliament during the plenary session chaired by the Speaker, Ms Anita Among, at Parliament on May 16, 2024. PHOTO/DAVID LUBOWA
On Thursday, the House processed and okayed a Shs14 trillion corrigendum that shot the budget for Financial Year 2024/25 from Shs58.3 trillion to Shs72.1 trillion
Supporting documents to the corrigendum processed by the Budget Committee and okayed by the House show that the Defence ministry held the majority of items that totalled to Shs616.78b.
Specifically, the Defence ministry has Shs214.62b for “wage, pension and gratuity enhancement for UPDF lower cadre”; Shs172.0b for food for the UPDF; and Shs230.16b to cater to Defence equipment projects.
Additionally, Shs132b was ring-fenced for Uganda’s preparations for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals that will jointly be co-hosted with Tanzania and Kenya. The lion’s share of the Afcon funds will be channelled through the National Council of Sports. Shs117.0 billion will be used to kick-start construction works on the Hoima Stadium. Construction works on the Akii-Bua Stadium in Lira City will meanwhile contend with Shs100b.
Documents also show that Shs7.80b is planned as “recurrent funds” to go towards the Mandela National Stadium. The stadium recently received Shs97.90b for renovations that saw it get the all clear to host 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
The corrigendum lists Shs34 trillion as allowances for medical interns; Shs24b for State House; Office of the President has Shs25 billion; and Shs40.0 trillion as cattle compensations for Lango, Teso and Acholi Sub-regions.
Three coffee items are catered for in the same corrigendum, with the money set to be wired through the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
The government will through the UCDA channel Shs13.90b to cater to the vaguely worded “coffee traceability” and Shs12.25b to settle “arrears for coffee seedling farmers.” Shs75b is earmarked to do “coffee value addition” under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI).
Similarly, the Electoral Commission has Shs415b to cover its electoral roadmap activities.
The government has planned for the capitalisation of New Vision Group at Shs25b; Busoga and Bunyoro Universities at Shs30b; Kabalega International Airport at Shs162b; as well as Foot and Mouth Disease containment at Shs427b.
Background
After the government tabled and processed the initial Shs58.3 trillion 2024/25 budget estimates, several ministries departments and agencies (MDAs) through their political administrators and accounting officers decried the meagre resources in their 2024/25 budgets. The cries were captured in the Budget Committee’s majority report.
“We had a number of recommendations for unfunded priorities amounting to Shs17 trillion and now the secretariat has tried to pick some which have been attended to here. Those unfunded priorities also went to the Executive and from there some of them like cattle have been handled here,” Mr Patrick Isiagi Opolot, the committee chairperson, disclosed.
