Finance Minister Henry Musasizi has told Parliament that the Government has more than doubled the budget of the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) over the past five financial years, underscoring its commitment to strengthening Uganda’s standards and quality infrastructure.
Musasizi made the remarks on Thursday while appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Tourism, Trade and Industry to present and discuss the utilisation of Non-Tax Revenue (NTR) collections and UNBS’s budget performance.
Minister Musasizi revealed that UNBS’s approved budget increased from Shs65.04 billion in the 2021/22 financial year to Shs133.83 billion in 2025/26, with annual budget releases ranging between 94 and 100 percent of the approved allocations, reflecting consistent and timely government funding for the bureau’s planned activities.
Minister Musasizi explained that the temporary budget reductions experienced between the 2022/23 and 2024/25 financial years resulted from the global economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, he noted that the Government later restored and significantly increased funding, raising the budget from Shs62.98 billion to Shs133.83 billion, well above the bureau’s Non-Tax Revenue collections.
Musasizi said the increase demonstrates the Government’s unwavering commitment to improving quality assurance systems and enhancing the country’s standards infrastructure.
Accompanied by Director of Economic Affairs Moses Kaggwa and other senior officials, the minister also explained that reforms introduced in the 2017/18 financial year require all Non-Tax Revenue to be collected through the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to minimise revenue leakages, improve accountability and promote transparency.
He noted that UNBS’s Non-Tax Revenue collections have steadily increased over the last five years, rising from Shs60.74 billion to Shs87.68 billion.
Addressing proposals for UNBS to retain and spend its revenue at source, Musasizi said the bureau, as a government vote, must comply with the Public Finance Management Act, which requires all revenue collections to be remitted to the Consolidated Fund.
He advised UNBS to develop comprehensive and well-costed strategic plans to effectively implement its mandate and support the country’s quality standards agenda.
