MPs criticise Shs43 trillion Budget proposals over misalignment of gov’t priorities

Government has revised the Budget Framework Paper presenting the latest to Parliament’s Committee on Budget, with a Shs43 trillion spending wish for financial year 2022/23.
The Budget Framework Paper provides an indication of government spending priorities and lineates boundaries within which agencies must make budget proposals. 
If approved by Parliament, the budget will be within a total of Shs43 trillion down from the current financial year’s Shs55.1 trillion. 
The Finance Ministry proposes Shs1.7 trillion to finance agro-industrialisation, Shs660 billion for private sector development and Shs79 billion for manufacturing. 
Transport could potentially walk away with Shs4.8 trillion, human capital development (majorly health and education) Shs6.9 trillion while governance and security, Shs6.4 trillion. 

MP Paul Omara (Indep., Otuke County) said with these propositions, government is speaking about its priorities with one end of the mouth but budget in total inconsonance with its own priorities. 
“I want to thank Permanent Secretary/Secretary to the Treasury  and his team for this year’s budget theme which is; ‘full monetization of the Ugandan economy through commercial agriculture, industrialization, market access and digital transformation’, but why is that not reflected in the budgeting,” he said. 
 Omara questioned why security, in this peace time, takes so much money yet there is no fluidity in the economy to spur growth. 
MP Dickson Kateshumbwa (NRM, Sheema Municipality) said there is a problem with implementation, and that MPs do not see value for money on the ground. 
“People are not feeling the government; we need to feel it and see value for money; we want serious focus on the execution of the budget,” he said. 
Committee Chairperson , Hon Isiagi Opolot asked whether there will be an adjustment of the National Development Plan to reflect the realities of the pandemic. 
The Secretary to Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi said they have already engaged the National Planning Authority for a review.
“We have engaged with our colleagues at NPA (National Planning Authority) to see how we could review and adjust our National Development Plan because some of the assumptions which we made prior to the Covid-19 shocks have since changed,” said  Ggoobi. 
He added, ‘in the midterm review, they intend to readjust the plan to fit into the new shocks’.