MINISTER KASAIJA GIVES ACOUNT OF THE 44.7 TRILLION BUDGET

The Ministry of Finance has indicated changes of the budget for the financial year 2021/2022 from the initial 41.3 Trillion Shillings to 44.7 Trillion Shillings.

Minister Matia Kasaija says that the budget is going to be financed through 20.8 trillion shillings through Uganda revenue collections, 1.5 trillion from non tax revenue, 200 billion from the petroleum fund, 3.5 trillion budget supports, 2.9 trillion Domestic financing, 8.5 trillion Domestic debt refinancing and 212 through local revenue collections.
Kenneth Mugambe, the Director Budget at the Ministry of Finance, says that until the budget is appropriated by Parliament, more changes are expected to happen.

Mugambe disclosed this at sensitization training for Parliamentary journalists on the budget process at Hotel Africana in Kampala.

“The reason why we as finance engage with press is to make sure that we digest the information so that you are able to give it to the public for easy understanding” saysMugambe.

Mugambe adds that for information to flow well there is need to deepen the understanding of policy issues and this can be easily done via engagements with the journalists.

Last week, Finance Minister Matia Kasaija tabled a budget of 41.2 trillion shillings for the next financial year, which was a reduction of 4.3 Trillion Shillings from last year’s budget but today morning it was indicating 44.77 trillion.

During the engagement, Moses Mulondo, the president for Uganda Parliamentary Press Association, welcomed the corroboration but requested the ministry to look into the charges of Over the Top Taxes (OTT) and internet charges.

Mulondo says that such taxes hinder the flow of information since most of the media houses do us internet to execute their duties.

Ken Patrick Lubango from Civil Society Advocacy says their mandate is to cross check what the ministry has in docket then advises.

Ambrose Otyang the principal Economist on budget shared the stages that budget goes through before the final presentation at the floor of parliament.

He insisted that there is no hidden agenda where the figures keep fluctuating but it is brought about by the various stages it goes to where items are added and sometimes others removed.

The new budget has seen the budget for Governance, and Security reduces from the initial 7.7 trillion shillings to 6.9 trillion shillings.

Minister of finance planning and Economic development Matia Kasaija has given an account of the budget increments from 41.2 trillion to 44.7 trillion.

Kasaija while appearing before the budget committee informed members of parliament that out of the additional 3.4 trillion shillings, 2.8 trillion shillings is purchase COVID-19 vaccines, 152 billion shillings is going to purchase transport equipment for judicial officers and enrollment of electronic court case management system.

133.6 billion shillings is for purchase of vehicles of members of parliament, office space for rent and funding the parliament institute.

Integrated transport infrastructure and services which were 3.9 trillion will now be 5 trillion shillings, Agro industrialization will take 1.6 trillion instead of the initial 1.4 trillion, and regional development has remained 1.2 trillion shillings.

Sustainable Energy Development and Development plan implementation will each take 1.1 trillion shillings.

Parliament and Judiciary which was not initially included in the budget but silently fell under Government and security has been allocated 831 billion Shillings and 373 billion Shillings respectively.

Other sectors like climate change, water management will get 668 billion, Private sector 587 billion shillings, Innovation Technology Development and transfer344 billion, Public sector transformation 325 billion, sustainable urbanization and housing 312 billion shillings, and Tourism development 178 billion.

Others are Digital transformation 134 billion shillings, sustainable development of petroleum resources 106 billion, community mobilization and mindset change 56 billion, Manufacturing and Mineral development 54 billion and 48 billion respectively.

Under non-discretionary allocations, domestic refinancing will take 8.5 trillion shillings, interest payments 5 trillion shillings, External debt repayment 1.7 trillion shillings, Domestic arrears 400 billion shillings, Local Revenue for local Government 212 billion shillings.