By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
Economist and budget analyst Julius Mukunda has challenged Members of Parliament to reduce expenses in the budget, and prioritize national interests as they debate on the returned Appropriation Bill, 2024.
“Parliament’s decision to selfishly reallocate budget priorities demonstrates a disregard for the broader fundamental needs of society. Such actions prioritize narrow interests over the well-being of the entire population, which is wrong. These corrupt practices of reallocation of funds to benefit their own interests for personal or political gain is what we refer to as ‘budgeting for corruption’ and budgeting for self-preservation,” said Julius Mukunda, Executive Director CSBAG.
The call comes after President Museveni declined to assent to the Appropriation Bill, 2024, and returned it to parliament with a request to reinstate UShs750 billion that was reallocated by parliament without executive consent. The figures sparked questions about the transparency of the budget committee and parliament and whether parliament had enough time to scrutinize the budget.
Mukunda argues that MPs selfishly reallocated budget resources to themselves and their constituencies without considering the needs of taxpayers. He proposes that MPs use the president’s return of the bill as an opportunity to cut unnecessary expenses, such as emoluments for cultural leaders, procurement of iron sheets and maize seeds, and house rent for the principal judge and chief justice.
“MPs should use this opportunity to rein on this extreme appetite of the executive to cut down unnecessary expenses like these ones and more others and we live within our means.”
The role of parliament according to Mukunda, is to remove unnecessary expenses not allocate resources explaining that policy makers take advantage of these irregularities to budget for themselves.
Professional CV writing and Accounting services Ad.Mukunda also decried the vice of spending funds on non-productive expenses, urging the government to expedite the review process of the bill to minimize adverse effects on the execution of activities for FY 2024/25.
“We are budgeting to a debt distress because most of the money is being borrowed to finance these kind of expenditures that are not productive at all,” said the CSBAG ED.
The call for MPs to reduce their expenses has sparked a debate about parliamentary spending and accountability.
About Appropriate Bill
Appropriation Bill is a law containing the amount of money to be spent by each government ministry, department and local government. Without this law, and the audit warrant, the government cannot withdraw budget funds from the consolidated fund. Parliament will sit on July 2 to consider the merits and demerits of the proposed amendments in the Appropriate Bill, 2024.
