KAMPALA, Uganda — Parliament on Tuesday passed a 1.1 trillion shilling supplementary budget to fund urgent government requirements, including preparations for the African Cup of Nations, local council elections and the presidential swearing-in ceremony.
The request was presented by State Minister for Finance Henry Musasizi during a plenary session presided over by Speaker Anita Among. To expedite the funding, lawmakers suspended Rule 160, which typically requires a detailed review by the Budget Committee and other sectoral committees.
The breakdown of the supplementary expenditure includes 56 billion shillings for the Ministry of Local Government to conduct long-awaited local council elections and 29 billion shillings for the Ministry of Sports for AFCON host preparations. An additional 3 billion shillings was allocated to the Office of the President for the swearing-in ceremony, while 46 billion shillings will cover wage shortfalls across various departments.
Fox Odoi-Oywelowo, the member of parliament for West Budama North East, moved the motion for the suspension of the rules, arguing that the democratization process necessitates funding for elections at the lowest administrative units.
It is imperative that we provide resources to enable people of Uganda exercise their democratic rights, Odoi-Oywelowo said.
Musasizi told Parliament that while some events, such as the presidential inauguration, were expected, the actual costs exceeded original appropriations. He noted that AFCON funds are immediately required for road repairs in Kira Municipal Council, improvements at Kadiba football stadium and sanitation interventions in Hoima and Masindi.
The Public Finance Management Act requires that supplementary expenditures be unforeseen or unavoidable. However, opposition lawmakers questioned the classification of these items as emergencies.
Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda, the shadow minister for finance, argued that the expenditures were foreseeable. He noted that while the government requested these funds, critical gaps remain, including 8 billion shillings needed by the Uganda National Examinations Board for teachers marking national exams.
How does a minister tell us that we need a supplementary less than a month to the budget speech, asked Medard Ssegonna, the member of parliament for Busiro County East.
In response to the request for election funding, Jonathan Odur, the member of parliament for Erute County South, tasked the minister with providing a comprehensive list of all villages where the local council elections will be conducted to ensure accountability.
