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President Museveni recently returned the approved Appropriation Bill to Parliament for reconsideration. This indicates a contest for power between the executive and the legislature over the overall budgeting process
The Ugandan civil society has warned of several potential risks in the grotesque situation of starting a financial year without an approved national budget for the country.
The warning came as Uganda started rolling out the 2024-25 financial year from July 1. Julius Mukunda, the executive director of Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG), presented these concerns at a media conference at CSBAG offices in Ntinda, Kampala on June 30, 2024.
CSBAG comprises many organisations, with a prime mission of advocating for a more transparent and people-centric budget. Mukunda said this is the first time in Uganda that a financial year starts without an approved national budget and the first time an appropriation bill has been returned to parliament.
President Museveni recently returned the approved Appropriation Bill to Parliament for reconsideration. This indicates a contest for power between the executive and the legislature over the overall budgeting process. Mukunda blamed this embarrassing situation on negligence and a power struggle between the legislature and the executive.
While stressing that the national interest should be the priority in the budgeting process so that the legislature and the executive work collaboratively, he said parliament should not reallocate any excess resources to the desires of its members.
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During the State-of-the-Nation address on June 6, 2024, President Museveni said he had proof that the Ministry of Finance staff colluded with accounting officers to give bribes to MPs to make favourable adjustments to their respective allocations. Earlier, during the 10th Parliament, Museveni complained that parliament was irregularly altering his budget, arguing that parliament’s sole role was to make recommendations about proposed allocations.
