Summary:
- Ssemujju highlighted the ages of President Museveni, who will turn 80 on September 15, 2024, and Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, who will also turn 80 on November 26, 2024.
KAMPALA: Ibrahim Ssemujju, the Kira Municipality Member of Parliament, has criticized the processing of Uganda’s 2024/25 annual budget, calling it the most chaotic in the country’s history.
He questioned whether the budget was prepared by a secondary school student, given its disorganized nature.
Ssemujju also speculated that the confusion might stem from the advanced age of top officials managing the budget or sheer incompetence.
“At every stage, Minister of Finance Matia Kasaija has presented different and contradictory figures. In the Budget Framework Paper submitted last December, two ceilings were provided: Shs52.722Trn and Shs54.587Trn. When the real budget was presented on March 28, 2024, it totaled Shs60.9Trn, appearing as if prepared by juvenile students,” he said.
Ssemujju highlighted the ages of President Museveni, who will turn 80 on September 15, 2024, and Finance Minister Matia Kasaija, who will also turn 80 on November 26, 2024.
He noted that due to their combined age of 160, Kasaija delegated the task to 43-year-old Henry Musasizi Ariganyira, who was born a year after Kasaija became deputy labour minister.
“Musasizi, representing these two elderly men, has presented different figures and information at every stage, often appearing unsure. None of the budget documents are signed by him, yet he is the face of this debacle,” Ssemujju added.
The Opposition, in their minority report on the 2024/25 Appropriation Bill, revealed that Uganda’s public debt has now reached Shs97.499Trn, with plans to borrow an additional Shs25Trn to finance the next budget.
Ssemujju, also the Shadow Minister for Finance, identified wasteful expenditure worth Shs5.485Trn that he suggested removing, but Parliament rejected this appeal.
“The biggest task before the 11th Parliament is to significantly reduce the country’s public debt, which has become a burden to our economy and threatens Uganda’s sovereignty. Public debt now stands at 52.7% of our Shs184 trillion GDP. Parliament must reject any measures that increase this debt,” Ssemujju urged.
The Opposition also disclosed that in 2024/25, Ugandan taxpayers will spend Shs644Bn on the purchase, maintenance, and fueling of vehicles for public servants.
“Shs105.936Bn will be spent on acquiring new vehicles, Shs167.298Bn on maintenance, and Shs371.182Bn on fueling. This totals Shs644Bn for the next financial year,” Ssemujju said.
He criticized the allocation of vehicles to some officials, noting that former leaders such as Amama Mbabazi and Kiwanuka Ssekandi, who already have several vehicles, continue to receive new ones.
“Ssekandi, for instance, has vehicles as a former speaker, former deputy speaker, former vice president, and now as a presidential advisor, yet he hardly uses them. All these vehicles are fueled and drivers provided,” Ssemujju concluded.
