Parliament recalled to reconsider budget

At the behest of the President, Speaker Anita Among has recalled the House from recess to review the 2024/25 budget afresh, and possibly reinstate the Shs750.47 billion reallocated from the government priorities.

Two days after the President went to Cabinet and accused Parliament of tinkering with government priorities, he wrote to Speaker Among last evening, detailing areas of dissent, and without mincing words, demanded that all funds be reinstated to the original votes.  

Mr Chris Obore, the director of communications and public affairs at Parliament, confirmed the President’s letter to Speaker last evening and reiterated that “the President wrote to the Speaker, returning the Appropriations Bill for review of some aspects”

“The House will address the President’s areas of concern and return the Bill for presidential assent within the legal timeliness,” he said without providing additional details including when the House is likely to convene and discuss the budget afresh. Mr Obore told Daily Monitor that the Speaker received President’s letter last evening.

However, sources close to Clerk’s Office told Daily Monitor last evening that the House will convene on Tuesday July 2, 2024, to consider the Appropriation Bill afresh. Members’ will be notified through the Clerk, either today or tomorrow. The House Budget Committee will also convene next week to consider the merits and demerits of the proposed amendments in the Appropriation Bill, 2024.

An Appropriation Act is a law containing the amount of money to be spent by each government ministry, department and local government. Without this law, even with the audit warrant, the government cannot withdraw budget funds from the Consolidated Fund.

On Monday this week, Daily Monitor reported that the Head of State had threatened not to assent to the Appropriation Act, 2024 and promised to return it back to Parliament so that the budget is reinstated to the priorities proposed by the government.

In the consideration of President’s request in the face of an ongoing budget graft probe, the Budget Committee members who reallocated funds and the House as a whole however, face a delicate dilemma: how to protect the independence of Parliament while remaining sensitive to the perils of defying the President who is also the commander-in-chief.

Parliament as the supreme law-making organ however reserves the final say on the matter at hand, and members are not under obligation to accept President’s demands. The Bill will be sent to the Budget Committee and their recommendations will be discussed in the committee of the whole House where a final decision on the matter will be taken. The House can agree to reinstate the Shs750b to the government priorities or maintain its stand.

During the consideration of the Appropriation Bill, the lawmakers made amendments that suppressed Treasury Operations budget by more than Shs400b. The lawmakers have accused Finance ministry officials and others of over budgeting and failing to spend the money, yet there are pressing priorities.

The MPs on the Budget Committee reallocated recurrent expenditures to a tune of Shs631.74 billion and development amounting to Shs118.73b. In Cabinet, there were claims that the members of the Budget Committee took advantage of the budget and allocated themselves projects in their constituencies and that this is not the first time it’s happening.

Parliament under Article 79(1) of the Constitution provides has the power to make laws on any matter for the peace, order, development and good governance of Uganda. The Constitution gives the President 30 days to assent to the Bill or return it to Parliament for review. However, under Article 91(3) of the Constitution, any Bill may become law without the President’s signature if he/she returns it to Parliament two times.