Uganda to Fund 73% of Shs 32.5 Tn Budget, Focus on Industrialization

Parliament has finally passed the national budget for the new 2018/19 financial year amounting to Shs 32.5 trillion, up from Shs 29 trillion for the ending fiscal year.

In a plenary session chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Jacob Oulanyah, Parliament on Friday morning constituted itself into a Committee of Supply to consider the Budget estimates for 2018/2019.

Under the new budget, recurrent expenditure amounts to Shs 9.4 trillion while development expenditure is Shs 13 trillion. Statutory expenditure is Shs 10 trillion.

Atleast Shs 24 trillion (73.8% of the budget) will be sourced domestically while the remaining 26.2% (Shs 7 trillion) will be mobilized externally.

During the plenary that also closed the 2nd Session of the 10th Parliament, the House also approved the Appropriation Bill, 2018 to provide for the authorisation of public expenditure for the Consolidated Fund.

Looking at the respective appropriations to the different sectors, Works and Transport has taken the biggest share (14.8% of the total budget) with a Shs 4 trillion allocation.

This is followed by Education which now gets Shs 9.6 trillion representing 9.6% of the total budget. Other key sectors like Health, Tourism and Agriculture have been allocated Shs 2.3 trillion (7.3%), 118.3 billion (0.4%) and Shs 914 billion (2.8%) respectively.

Energy will get Shs 2.47 trillion.

The Minister of Finance, Matia Kasaija expressed gratitude towards the Member of Parliament for having passed the budget but urged for effective supervision.

“I am appealing that in your various consistituencies, Members should have their ears on the ground,” Kasaija told the House.

“The theme of this budget is ‘Uganda and Industrialization’. Everything that comes up to hinder this should be fought with full force,” he said.

President Yoweri Museveni is expected to open the 3rd Session of Parliament on Wednesday June 6 when he delivers State of Nation Address.