Kira Municipality MP Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda has dismissed President Museveni's arguments that alterations made by MPs in the Appropriation Bill 2024 are detrimental to the government's development agenda, claiming this is a ploy by the President to hijack Parliament's appropriation powers.
Museveni recently informed the cabinet that he would not assent to the Appropriation Bill approved by Parliament unless the reallocation of Shs 750 billion was addressed.
Finance Minister Matia Kasaija confirmed the president's stance but declined to provide details, stating he was not permitted to discuss cabinet deliberations with the press.
"I am aware because the President told us clearly in cabinet that he is returning it but for now, I am not going to comment on it until I have consulted him," Kasaija said.
An appropriation bill, also known as a supply bill or spending bill, is a proposed law that authorizes the expenditure of government funds.
Parliament passed the bill on May 16, 2024, authorizing the government to spend Shs 72.1 trillion for the financial year 2024/2025.
While addressing the media at Parliament, Ssemujju claimed that there were no substantial grounds in the President's letter justifying the return of the bill, aside from expressions of dissatisfaction over Parliament's alterations.
"The real reason why the president is returning the bill isn't because so much damage has been done to the budget, but because he wants to take away the power of appropriation from MPs. He thinks MPs must have no say. So you should just sit in Parliament as if you are on a talk show, debate the budget, and take it to him to make the final decision," Ssemujju said.
Ssemujju added that the law requires the President to return the bill within 30 days, and with the Appropriation Bill having been passed on May 16, 2024, the President returned the bill outside the stipulated legal provisions. Therefore, MPs have the liberty to reject the President's proposals, but Ssemujju doubted whether NRM MPs have the courage to go against the President.
"His letter hasn't been known, they should have published this letter in the gazette. Those who have read it tell me that the President is quarrelling and he doesn't specify which particular clauses in the bill he wants reconsidered. What this means to Parliament is that either we move under Article 91(6) and just look at the bill and return it to Museveni," Ssemujju said.
He noted that the only trouble is that NRM MPs are spineless because even if they refuse to reconsider the bill and take it back to Museveni, he returns it, and they take it back again.
"It becomes law. But I am not sure that these NRM MPs have the spine to do so," he said.
Julius Mukunda, Executive Director of the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG), recently warned that the return of the Appropriation Bill poses a risk of delaying government programs and increasing domestic arrears.
"The fear of government agencies to commit to the budget will worsen our challenge of fund absorption. We already have Shs 14 trillion of undisbursed loans, and this amount is likely to increase," he explained.
Mukunda noted that the return of the Appropriation Bill could exacerbate the issue of domestic arrears, given the meager allocation of Shs 2.08 trillion for their payment against a total outstanding of Shs 10.5 trillion.
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"We calculated that it would take the government 35 years to clear the current outstanding domestic arrears, provided no more are incurred. If decisions are changed mid-course, arrears will increase, affecting suppliers and the economy," he added.
Despite these concerns, CSBAG welcomed the return of the Appropriation Bill as an opportunity to rectify budget allocation errors.
Mukunda praised the president for addressing the issue and urged the removal of unnecessary expenses, such as Shs 378 billion for cultural leader salaries and Shs 8 billion for purchases for Karamoja, which he argued were susceptible to misuse.
"This is an opportunity to correct erroneous budget allocations and remove unnecessary expenses. For example, cultural leaders should not require salaries if they cannot sustain themselves. Similarly, funds for Karamoja need scrutiny to prevent misuse," Mukunda stated.
