Parliament throws out Shs43 trillion budget framework

Lawmakers on the Parliament’s Committee on Budget yesterday discarded the government’s 2022/2023 National Budget Framework Paper (NBFP).

This was after it emerged that the documents tabled by the Ministry of Finance officials were different from the draft tabled before Parliament in December last year.

“The figures in this statement aren’t the same with the ones in the budget framework paper. For example, human resource development is talking about Shs6.1 trillion, here it is Shs6.5 trillion. If you talk about security, it is Shs6.4 trillion. You can go on and on, all those figures don’t tally. Which figures are we following?” Mr Muwanga Kivumbi, the Butambala County MP,  said . 

This prompted the committee chairperson, Mr Patrick Isiagi, to demand answers from the State minister for Finance in charge of Planning, Mr Amos Lugolobi.  Mr Lugoloobi asked the committee to ignore the disparities and instead focus on the current draft.

“Officially, let us take figures in the new document we have laid before Parliament. There could have been some human error, so for the time being, let us take the figures that are here,” Mr Lugoloobi said.

In a rejoinder, the State Minister of Finance in charge of General Duties, Mr Henry Musaasizi, asked the lawmakers to overlook the matter, terming it a mere glitch. 

He said the document only serves as a guide since the figures carried in the Budget tend to fluctuate.

“We presented NBFP in December 2021, later on, we presented an addendum and between that time, there was Shs1.2 trillion, which wasn’t captured in the previous NBFP and we have now captured through reallocation,” Mr Musaasizi said.

However, Mr Isiagi and committee memembers weren’t satisfied.

“The budget framework paper was laid, an addendum was laid, therefore, there is need to come up with harmonised figures which are expected to have been done by the minister in his presentation. As we speak, we have realised that they aren’t well coordinated,” Mr Isiagi said.

Contained in the same framework that was rejected by Parliament yesterday was  Shs15 trillion that was purposed towards servicing some of the loans that government shoulders.

The same framework shows that the innovation and technology will get Shs227.5 billion, tourism (Shs149 billion), Justice (Shs383 billion), manufacturing sector (Shs72 billion), urbanisation and housing (Shs387.8 billion), and Shs664.1 billion will go towards the development of the private sector.

Other allocations

The legislation sector has been allocated Shs686.6 billion while Shs1.02 trillion will go to the implementation of the development plan in the next financial year.  Climate change, natural resources, water and environment has been allocated Shs2.086 trillion, agro-industrialisation (Shs1.340 billion), regional development (Shs1.234 trillion), and sustainable energy development (Shs1.107 trillion).

Item                                     Old figure (Shs)    New figure (Shs)

Mobilsation and mindset change    70 billion    64.8 billion
Tourism Development                    167.8 billion    178.3 billion
Administration of Justice             383.3 billion    383 billion
Devt of Petroleum resources       114.1 billion    149 billion
Energy                                             1 trillion    1.1 trillion
Manufacturing                               70.8 billion    72 billion
Agro-Industrialisation                 1.5 trillion    1.340 trillion
Regional Development               969 billion    1.243 trillion
Transport Infrastructure            4.5 trillion    4.776 trillion
Governance                                 6.4 trillion    6.184 trillion
Human capital Devt                   6.5 trillion    6.172 trillion
 

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