Prime
State House pushes for Shs22b new cars
President Museveni (in white shirt) at Entebbe airport as he prepared to receive two of the CJR900 bombardiers for the revived Uganda National Airlines on April 23, 2020. On his right is his Mercedes Benz Limousine and the Mi-17 helicopter (behind). PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- Security minister Gen Jim Muhwezi says the current presidential fleet is aging.
The State House is requesting for Shs21.9 billion to procure new vehicles for President Museveni and Vice President Jessica Alupo in the next financial year (FY), the Security minister told a House committee on Thursday.
Gen Jim Muhwezi told the parliamentary Committee on Presidential Affairs that the item—the victim of a 40 percent budgetary cut effected by the Finance ministry—needs to be shoehorned into State House’s Shs419.9b proposed budget for FY2023/2024.
“There is need to reconsider that reduction and also consider the fact that the item is grossly underfunded given the aging fleet of the vehicles for the principals,” the Security minister said, adding that the principals in question are “His Excellency the President and Vice President.”
Earlier in the week, Mr Muhwezi had urged the same House committee to okay the allocation of Shs8.3 billion for the procurement of vehicles for presidential advisors in FY2023/2024. This was during his presentation of the Budget Framework Paper (BFP) of 2023/2024 for the Office of the President.
Austerity measures
The indicative budgetary allocations for FY2023/2024 show that State House’s development vote will be whittled down from Shs36.203b this current financial year to Shs21.722b in the next as the Finance ministry brings in place austerity measures to revive the country’s flagging economy. The vote is forecast to return to the Shs36b region during FY2026/2027.
Lawmakers on the Presidential Affairs Committee insist that frugality and simplicity have to hold sway as the country grapples with a cost of living crisis.
“There is a lot of money being invested in these presidential advisors, I would like to get clarification on these increasing numbers and some of the things they work on because for the case of Kampala, I have never seen any presidential advisor working,” Mr Abubaker Kawalya (Rubaga North), said.
Yet Mr Muhwezi still pushed for the Finance ministry to make available to State House Shs30b in donations next financial year.
“The growing demand for donations and inability to settle the outstanding donations in time is a big challenge,” the Security minister revealed, forcing Ms Agnes Taaka (Bugiri Woman) to demand that a full list of planned and/or pending outstanding donations be tabled.
She added: “Sometimes you find pledges that have stayed and have overstayed for years and years and then others come and those are fulfilled immediately,” she said.
Fresh coat of paint
State House’s laundry list of activities also includes repairing the presidential jet and helicopters. The Finance ministry has made available Shs21.7b for these undertakings. The same figure has been set aside to refurbish Nakasero State Lodge and 23 upcountry state lodges.
Ms Jessica Ababiku (Adjumani)—the Presidential Affairs Committee chairperson—directed that the government produce a comprehensive report that shows the progress of the refurbishments.
“You promised to construct one in Adjumani, you even got land, we need the status,” Ms Ababiku said, adding, “We also need to visit the state lodges so that we know their status. You are talking about renovating them, but the committee that appropriates does not know the status of these lodges.”
Accommodation
The government is also in pursuit of Shs7b to fund the construction of new offices for Resident District Commissioners (RDCs). It has cast this as an austerity measure given the money spent on rent for the several RDCs dotting the country.
The Office of the President has 146 RDCs on its books, 107 of whom are renting.
“[If the government constructs one office accommodation each year, that implies that it would take the Office of the President 110 years to construct for all RDCs,” Mr Muhwezi said, adding, “We appeal to the committee to provide Shs7b to enable government construct at least 10 houses per year such that in 10 years, the issue of office accommodation becomes history.”
In a bid to address the growing need for accommodation, the government also wants Parliament to approve a Shs7.9b request for the construction of lodging facilities at the National Leadership Institute (NALI) nested in Kyankwanzi.
Shs4b medals
Legislators have also been asked to ensure the Shs4.23b item request is given the green light to allow the government procure ‘Pearl of Africa’ medals. The medals are given to visiting heads of state.
“The stock of medals in the form of the most excellent in the form of Pearl of Africa Medals has run out and needs replenishment,” Mr Muhwezi said, adding that their absence “puts the President into untold embarrassment.”
State House also wants to procure new security and ICT equipment, as well as furniture.
Defence wants Shs9 trillion
As Mr Muhwezi defended the cost of the presidency in the forthcoming financial year, Mr Vicent Ssempijja—who runs the rule over the Defence and Veteran Affairs docket—also had a rough time making a case for a Shs8.9 trillion budget. Budgetary cuts whittled down the budget to Shs3.5 trillion, leaving a shortfall of Shs5.3 trillion.
Key priorities for the ministry include Shs1.5 trillion for wages; Shs307b for pensions and gratuity; Shs3.4 trillion for classified items; Shs280b for food stuffs; Shs106b for fuel and Shs526b for construction works.
The others are Operation Shujaa (Shs21.5b) and Usalama Wote operations in Karamoja (Shs27.5b).
The process
As part of the process undertaken in the build up to the final budget draft okayed before June, Parliament is currently receiving Budget Framework Papers (BFP) for all ministries, departments and agencies showing the priority areas and planned expenditure.
After the submissions have been made to the line committees, lawmakers in their respective committees will retrieve to closed sessions to compile and generate final reports that will thereafter be filed before the Budget committee for consideration.
It is with detailed submissions that the Budget committee extracts the finer content that feeds into the final budget draft that is tabled before Parliament for approval.
