By Francis Lubega
18th May 2023
The 11th Parliament on Thursday passed a Shs52.7 trillion Budgets for the Financial Year 2023/2024 after a marathon sitting on Thursday chaired by Speaker Anita Among that commenced at 8a.m.
The approval followed a request by Henry Musasizi, the Minister of State for Finance –General Duties.
Shs21.4 trillion is set aside for statutory expenditure, which covers items such as treasury operations totaling Shs18.9 trillion, pensions and gratuity for retired civil servants amounting to Shs856.2 billion, among others.
These funds are charged on the Consolidated Fund, and MPs have their hands tied by various laws, meaning they cannot just allocate it except for those purposes already provided for under the law.
The Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs has been given Shs3.8 trillion, almost evenly distributed between recurrent and development expenditure.
Shs2.4 trillion has been set aside for the Uganda National Roads Authority, the bulk of which is for the construction of roads.
State House gets Shs417.9 billion, despite the opposition’s vicious attempt to have it slashed down, with MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda (FDC, Kira Municipality) insisting that the allocations are unlawful.
Parliament, on the other hand, rejected a proposed provision for the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity in the Office of the President totaling to Shs8.5 billion for “curbing the vice of homosexuality and pornography among the youth.” MPs, instead, took the funds to other votes.
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