UPC led by (MP) Jimmy J. Akena has advised and warned the NRM government many times. File photo.
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Last Updated on: 19th January 2023, 01:57 pm
Preparations have been underway since 2022 ahead of the new financial year to start not more than five months from today.
Different stakeholders are working on the new budget and the government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) have to defend their budget estimates before it’s approved by the parliament.
The minister of finance, planning, and economic development will in the coming months read the national budget for the 2023/2024 financial year on behalf of President, Gen. Yoweri T. Kaguta Museveni, 78.
As has been the norm, there are “always budget cuts” and this often affects service delivery.
In its signal on the same, the two-times manager of this nation, Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party has told the government to be “strategic with the budget cuts”.
“At the moment, preparation for the 2023/2024 financial year budget is underway. UPC is seriously concerned that the budget cuts that have been recommended in the incoming financial year may go against sustainable growth and development as some sectors of our economy are very much strategic with a lot of forward and backward linkages,” Arach Oyat Sharon, the party’s spokesperson said.
Addressing their weekly presser on Wednesday, she cited tourism and wildlife, fisheries, and agriculture as “very important to our economy”.
“They spur rural development and offer employment opportunities to our people as well as a great source of foreign exchange earner,” she added.
UPC is telling the NRM government that the effect of budgetary cuts stifles economic growth and (will) prolong the post Covid-19 challenges.
The country is in a situation that requires allocating more resources as part of the stimulus package for the quick recovery of the economy, she added.
To UPC, our service delivery in the health, and education sectors is still insufficient, which demands us to mobilize more resources to meet the current needs.
“The issues of climate change are with us now and we need to be more ready to invest in areas that lessen the impact. Reforestation ought to be stepped up and exploration, as well as production of renewable sources of energy like solar energy, and bio-gas, need to be allocated more funds.”
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In addition, more resources should be put into both urban and rural electrification, this will help to curb deforestation.
At the same time, the James Akena-led party said it is not good practice for budget allocations to be made and funds are not released in time or not released completely for some projects.
“UPC, therefore, advocates the Ministry of Finance to release resources in time to ensure better service delivery.”
According to the Final National Budget Framework Paper (FNBFP) for the financial year 2023/2024, the projected figures stand at shs49.98 trillion.
This has seen an increment of shs1.85 trillion from the current fiscal year’s figures.
Speaking in November 2022, the speaker of parliament Annet Among said the 2023/2024 budget will be “people-centered”.
