Greetings from AFLI and the Parliament of Uganda!
This is an update from the Parliament of Uganda marking the 4th Sitting of the 1st Meeting of the 4th Session of the 11th Parliament. The Speaker Rt chaired this Sitting. Hon. Anitah Among. In her communication, Speaker Anitah Among apologized to Members of Parliament for recalling them from their recess, during which they were engaging with their constituents, to reconsider the Appropriation Bill 2024. “First, I want to apologize for calling you for this special session because I know you have been bonding with your voters, we are truly sorry for calling you on short notice,” she said. Speaker Anitah Among noted that today’s Plenary aims to reconsider the Appropriation Bill, 2024, which the House passed on May 16, 2024, but returned by the President on June 22, 2024.
The Speaker clarified that the return of the Appropriation Bill 2024 did not violate constitutional provisions. She noted that the President is required to return the bill within 30 days of its passage by Parliament. However, she explained that after the Appropriation Bill 2024 was passed, Parliament took 15 days to send the bill to the President. So, the returned bill still falls within the 30-day timeframe as specified.
In his letter dated June 22, 2024, accompanying the returned Appropriation Bill 2024, President Museveni addressed the issue of Members of Parliament being arrested for alleged offenses and emphasized the mistake of MPs interfering with his constitutional mandate of budgeting for the country. He criticized the reallocation of funds by Parliament, stating that over the past four financial years, MPs have reallocated Shs 3.1 trillion. He labeled this as sabotage, comparing it to the cost of constructing nine major roads like the Kampala-Masaka Road, which cost Shs 440 billion, or a larger number of smaller roads.
Reacting to the Speaker’s communication, The Government Chief Whip, Hon. Obua Hamson who also doubles as the (MP, AJuri County, Alebtong District, NRM) proposed that the returned Appropriation Bill be referred to the Committee of the Whole House according to Rule 2 of the Rules of Procedure. On the other hand, Hon. Odur Jonathan (MP, Erute County South, Lira, UPC) rejected the referral of the Appropriation Bill 2024 to the Budget Committee due to serious allegations of corruption made against all committee members by the President. He noted that this isn’t the first time the President has accused the current Parliament of being corrupt. He instead supported Hon. Hamson Obua’s proposal to have the Bill considered by the Committee of the Whole House. “The strongest justification for not sending this bill to the Budget Committee is that there is a very serious allegation of grave corruption of the Budget Committee. And the wording of the President’s letter that specifically mentions allegations of corruption and he isn’t doing it for the first time, when he came to pay tribute to the Late Cecilia Ogwal, he accused Parliament, in your presence that the Parliament is corrupt. When we went for the State of the Nation Address he said that, on budget day, he said that. And in the letter, the accusation is on all members of the Budget Committee,” he said.
However, Hon. Ssemujju Nganda (MP, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, FDC) protested allegations that all MPs on the Budget Committee are corrupt, and his defense was that despite being a member of the Budget Committee, he has never signed the Majority Report. “I disagree with my Minister for Justice that the whole of the Budget Committee is accused of corruption. I sit on that Budget Committee, I have never, I have never asked or even signed the major report,” he said.
Moving forward Speaker Anitah Among said “We can’t say that our members are corrupt, even if some of our members have been arrested and are in prison, there is a presumption of innocence. Honourable members, can you shut up? Please! There is a presumption of innocence, you can’t say somebody is a thief. How many members are on the Budget Committee? There are 65 members on the Budget Committee”. Hon. Odur however stood by his remarks, noting, “This is a House of record. I was present when the Head of State came to pay tribute to the late Cecilia Ogwal, and in his speech, he said it. Madam Speaker, you were there; the President accused this Parliament of being corrupt. When we were in Kololo, it was mentioned. In this letter, the President has written the word corruption. It is also factual”, he said.
The Finance Minister, Hon. Matia Kasaija, later moved a motion that the House constitutes itself into a Committee of Supply to reconsider the Schedule of the Annual estimates for FY 2024/2025 in order to address concerns raised by the President. Speaker Anitah Among also told MPs that the new Appropriation Bill does not affect the budget proposals. “There are no additions in this budget; it is basically realignment in some sectors”, she said.
The House then constituted itself into the Committee of the Whole House to receive new budgetary reallocations for FY 2024/2025 for scrutiny and reconsideration. The proposals were presented by the State Minister of Finance, Hon. Musasizi Henry Ariganyira who also doubles as the (MP, Rubanda East County, Rubanda District, NRM). According to the Minister, the new budget proposals seek to reinstate funds that were cut by Parliament for FY 2024/2025. This includes reinstating Shs10 billion to support rural water supply, Shs22.74 billion for KCCA disaster mitigation, and Shs15 billion for rural electrification and connectivity projects, among others. The government also seeks to reinstate Shs6.8 billion for Namanve Thermal Power. “These funds are required for capacity payments for the operations of the Namanve Thermal Power Plant for energy security,” the Minister said.
In the new budget, the Government also wants Shs25 billion reinstated for treasury operations to fulfill contractual obligations for loans acquired for the implementation of key projects, where funds have not been fully absorbed. According to Minister Henry Musasizi, the government also wants Shs300 billion reinstated to the Budget for obligations under the share subscription agreement in servicing ROKO Bills of Exchange. “These are funds for Government obligations under the share subscription agreement in servicing Roko bills of exchange and payment of EFT bank charges to Bank of Uganda among others,” said Musasizi.
In the Shs750.47 billion of reallocated funds, the Government asked Parliament to reinstate the Shs5 billion that had been allocated to the Directorate of Ethics and Integrity for the publication of the National Anti-Corruption Survey on the perception and prevalence of corruption. Minister Henry Musasizi argued that these funds will also contribute to strengthening the adjudication of the Leadership Code Act. “The report affects the country’s credit ratings scores internationally, which is a benchmark for our multilateral partners,” said Musasizi. The Government also wants Shs5 billion reinstated for the fight against sleeping sickness in Uganda and the procurement of acaricides. Minister Musasizi warned that maintaining budget cuts could affect the control of tsetse flies, impacting animal productivity and the tourism sector, especially in areas such as Lake Mburo and Queen Elizabeth National Parks. “This cut leaves no funds for this intervention and failure to control animal diseases will affect the export volumes due to reduced production and quality,” he said.
The President also ordered Parliament to reinstate the Shs8 billion cut from the budget of the Ministry of Local Governments, intended for workshops, seminars, advertising, and public relations. He emphasized that these funds are crucial for the sensitization of the Parish Development Model. “This resource is funding for the PDM monitoring and sensitization activities. Monitoring of the PDM activities will not be fully undertaken if this resource is not reinstated,” said Hon. Musasizi.
Debating the motion for the reconsideration of the Appropriation Bill, 2024, Hon. Ssemujju Nganda (MP, Kira Municipality, Wakiso District, FDC) criticised the President’s intention to prioritize ROKO over important public needs. “We have Shs300Bn which they are reinstating to Roko Construction Company, which is a private Company. Remember, this Parliament gave Roko Construction Company Shs270Bn, this is a private company. The President is moving money from ambulances, and money from regional referral hospitals to create Shs300Bn for Roko, a private company. In his earlier submission on Roko, he said that Roko was helping them when they were fighting in Luwero, so this is the priority of the Government”, he said. According to Hon. Achia Remigio (Vice Chair of the Budget Committee), the President’s refusal to assent to the Appropriation Bill was a mistake. He argued that the funds within the bill were earmarked for essential or priority areas, implying that the bill’s approval was crucial for addressing these key needs. On the other hand, Hon. Nancy Acora supported the budget passed by Parliament in May, claiming it meets the needs of the common people.
Hon. James Niringyimana noted that it is wrong for the President to castigate Parliament as corrupt yet the House allocated funds to critical sectors. “In the future, we need to bring the president to appreciate what Members of Parliament are doing in good faith”, he said. The Attorney General Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka committed that the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development will not repurpose the budget, as no provision in the law allows them to do so. Parliament later passed the Appropriation Bill, 2024 with amendments.
The Speaker afterward adjourned the House to 23rd July 2024.