Finance State Minister David Bahati has tendered a Shs910b supplementary expenditure request before Parliament’s Committee on Budget, which among others include a Shs60b request to procure CCTV cameras for Police.
Of this supplementary request, Shs419b has already been spent, but is now before Parliament for retrospective approval as provided in Section 25(1) of the Public Finance Management Act.
The Act allows government to spend up to 3 per cent of the total approved budget, and table a request for retrospective approval within four months.
The remaining Shs481b is, however, above the 3 per cent provision and therefore require prior approval by Parliament.
“The Ministry appears to have surpassed the 3 per cent request and this needs prior approval by Parliament,” said Hon. Amos Lugoloobi, the Committee Chairperson.
The move is a follow up of President Museveni’s promise to procure CCTV cameras to fight crime in the wake of runaway criminality in the city, which saw the reorganization of the security services by the appointment of new Inspector General of Police Okoth Ochola and Security Minister Gen. Elly Tumwiine.
MP Muhammad Kivumbi (DP, Butambala), who is opposed to the request, said the source of funds must be declared.
“The law requires that they show us the source of funding before they proceed. Are they cutting money from other sectors?” said Kivumbi.
Minister Bahati said the funds are to be obtained through domestic borrowing, a practice where government gets funds from local commercial banks.
MPs, however, declined to entertain the request, saying they need to obtain clearance from the Committee on National Economy on whether the domestic loan request will be approved.
Other beneficiary entities
In a statement, Bahati said the supplementary request is intended to finance a Shs49 billion wage shortfall across Ministries with Shs20 billion for government’s purchase of shares in Atiak sugar factory.
Uganda Prisons Service is to get Shs10b for food, Shs250m for recruitment and validation of health workers and Shs190b for the Ministry of Water and Environment’s counterpart funding of “farm income enhancement and forestry conservation.
Shs1billion is to finance the procurement of an online registration system for the Uganda Registration Services Bureau.
The High Commission in Kigali requires Shs377 million, “to cater for budget shortfalls on rent and mission staff salaries shortfalls”.
Bahati said the Mission has been “put on notice for eviction by the landlord if the outstanding rent obligation is not cleared”.
The Finance Ministry said it also requires Shs7.7billion “to cater for operational funds and investment promotion activities under Uganda Investment Authority”.
Ministry of Trade will use Shs9.2b to settle outstanding Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa ahead of its May summit in Bujumbura.
Shs15.38b is to cater for counterpart funding to the grants for the elderly under Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development.
The NAADS Secretariat will use Shs80 billion to cater for the procurement of hoes as promised by President Yoweri Museveni during his 2016 presidential elections campaign.
Others are compensations in the Lands Ministry and wages in other Ministries.
Mr Lugoloobi said he will bring the matter to Speaker Rebecca Kadaga’s notice.
