KAMPALA – Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has expressed concerns over the confusion that bogged the budgeting process calling upon President Yoweri Museveni to reign over his officers in the Ministry of Finance.
While making her address ahead of the budget reading, the Speaker said that although the Ministry of Finance complied with all the provisions in the Public Finance Management Act 2015, the institution fell short of harmonizing their institution.
“I must express my disappointment in the manner in which this year’s budget was handled.” The Speaker said.
She says the policy statement which should have been with Parliament by 15th March 2019 didn’t come on time; the majority of them arrived on 19th April 2019.
Nine ministries had to be named because of non-compliance.
It was quite disturbing that an addendum to the budget was presented to the House after the Appropriation Bill had been sent to the Committee of Budget.
“This caused us to sit again to consider the budget, this is very untidy and I hope that the Ministry of Finance will not repeat it in the coming financial year.” She retorted.
It should be recalled that Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah also lashed out at officials from Ministry of Finance accusing the Department of derailing Parliament work by seeking to amend details in the 2019/2020 national budget just eight days before the last day of Parliament’s approval of the budget.
Oulanyah made the remarks in May -last month – in which he argued that the practice of tabling corrigendum is a manifestation of financial indiscipline that needs to be checked so as to improve the budgeting process and reduce on the workload brought before the house.
