The National Economic Empowerment Dialogue  (NEED) party has warned government of the substantial dangers of continued requests and passing of supplementary budgets in every financial year by ministries which is an indicator of poor planning and indiscipline on the whole of the  national budgeting process.

While addressing a press conference on Monday, December 18, 2023, at NEED offices in Rubaga, Moses Matovu, the Head of Communications revealed that, the government of Uganda should look for ways on how to minimize expenditure because different international partners have threatened to withdraw their financial support to Uganda, citing the World Bank which withdrew due to abuse of Human Rights and passing of the Anti-Homosexuality Law.

“Mr. PSST Ramathan Ggoobi is now in the driving seat of our economy, but we are still wondering if we still have sober leaders and sober planners. President Museveni promised Ugandans that government would not allow officials to spend money unnecessarily through seminars and foreign travels but unfortunately, these government officials have failed to walk the talk,” Matovu said.

He said that, in the previous months, a big delegation of 94 people attended a United Nations (UN) summit, and recently a number of 600 delegates went for the Climate Change Conference where billions of shillings of tax payers’ money was blown.

Matovu criticized the Members of Parliament who go for games where they receive allowances per day of close to Ugx 5billion, the money which could have been used to save the country’s economy and improve other National sports teams.

“We are developing the talents of Members of Parliament at that age yet our She Cranes, Uganda Cranes and other entities in sports are crying for money but we can have all that money spent on MPs. Is that what the country needs really?” he queried.

Last week, Parliament approved around Ugx 3.5 trillion for the supplementary funding to cater for various government sectors including State House, President’s Office and the Ministry of Health. The funds under the Supplementary Expenditure Schedule No.1 for the Financial Year 2023/2024.

In the report of the Committee of National Economy presented by the Chairperson, Patrick Isiagi, out of the Ugx 1.9 trillion, State House got Ugx 441.3 billion under classified expenditure, while the Office of the President was allocated Ugx 26 billion for hosting the Non-Aligned Movement and G77+China summits due to take place in January 2024.

Matovu lashed at opposition Members of Parliament of neglecting their oversight role of checking, correcting and bringing back government to order.

NEED therefore, advised that there should be specific regulations for supplementary budgets which should be passed only if there are unforeseeable, unavoidable and absorbable events.

Matovu said that, supplementary budgets do not only weaken the institutional mandate, control and oversight but also encourages poor planning and fiscal indiscipline.