Parliament members have reconsidered the appropriation bill 2024, which was returned by the president, and voted to reinstate funds amounting to Shs750bn, which parliament cut on the national budget for the 2024/2025 financial year and reallocated to other activities.
President Museveni says the budget cuts were uncalled for as they distorted the budget and accused MPs of corruption.
Legislators showed up in large numbers for today’s session and the battle for seats took shape.
Speaker Anita Among read the President’s harsh letter accompanying disapproval of the 2024/2025 budget. Museveni said in just four years MPs have been reallocating funds from key government priorities to a tune 3.1tn in a space of four financial years which has denied Ugandans services.
The President cited three factors on which he relied to decline to assent to the Appropriation Bill of 2024 including indiscipline in budgeting, sabotaging national priorities, and Suspicion of mass corruption by members of parliament who passed the budget.
In his letter, Museveni has warned parliament never again to tinker with the budget as proposed by the executive without its input.
However, the president’s letter shocked some MPs and they started pointing fingers at who is to blame and who the president accused of corruption.
The legal battle arose as MPs queried the procedure under which this budget reconsideration is being done but the Attorney General Kiryowa Kiwanuka labored to respond accordingly.
Afterward, the house constituted itself into a committee of the whole house and reconsidered reallocations amounting to 750.4bn after the minister of state for finance Charge of general duties Henry Musasizi gave a detailed breakdown.
Minister Balaam Balugahara (State for Youth Affairs) and Esther Anyakun the minister of State for Labour and Employment welcomed the decision to revert the reallocated funds, saying budget Committee members were selfish in the way they reallocated funds they cut from original activities.
However, lawmakers have registered their reservations that the move to reverse funds reallocated by parliament usurps its powers of appropriation.
