The Parliament of Uganda has halted the mainstreaming of the National Physical Planning Board and National Population Council into the National Planning Authority (NPA) after Members of Parliament (MPs) questioned the authenticity of certificates of financial implication issued by the Ministry of Finance.

This came after the National Planning Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2024, was tabled during plenary session on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

The bill is meant to amend the National Planning Authority Act, 2002, to transfer to the National Planning Authority the functions performed by the National Population Council and National Physical Planning.

According to the Minister of Public Service, Muruuli Mukasa, the mainstreaming of the National Population Council would save the government around Shs 11.9Bn while Shs 4.5Bn will be saved following the mainstreaming of the National Physical Planning Board.

Accordingly, the Chairperson of the Committee on Finance, Amos Kankunda, noted that the transfer of the functions would improve coordination between physical planning and national development strategies.

However, there was no indication of the cost that would be incurred by the NPA upon the expansion of its mandate, and Speaker Annet Anita Among advised that the ministry first bring satisfactory certificates of financial implication.

Muhammad Nsereko, the Kampala Central Member of Parliament, warned that the plan to merge the functions would turn Uganda into the biggest slum in the world, yet the country is already grappling with poor physical planning.

“The National Planning Authority’s cardinal role is to advise on the economic micro- and macro-policy of the country. The role of the National Physical Planning Board is particularly focused on land use, management, and distribution of resources,” Nsereko said.

He queried whether there is expertise in the NPA for land use management and distribution, adding that people at the National Physical Planning Board have given expertise that people at the National Planning Authority do not have.

“Physical planning is specific, and it requires a body of professionals lest Uganda go down into history as the biggest slum in the world, and the reason is that we don’t take what is cardinal as important,” Nsereko added.

The legality of the certificates of financial implication transferring the National Population Council and the National Physical Planning Board to the National Planning Authority has raised eyebrows among many Members of Parliament.

Conclusively, the Deputy Attorney General, Jackson Kafuuzi, who was also calling for the merger, said that the government would table a follow-up document to clarify the anomaly.