Parliament’s Budget Committee has halted the consideration of a motion to transfer Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to Energy Ministry after realizing that Shs4bn was missing from the Agency’s budget.
Early this month, Cabinet approved the proposal to transfer REA to Ministry of Energy and Ministry of Science and Technology to State House.
While appearing before the Budget Committee, Henry Musasizi- the State Minister of Finance-General Duties, said that the transfer would see Shs527.114Bn budget that had been allocated to REA transferred to Ministry of Energy, a move that would see the Ministry’s budget increase to Shs1.203Trn from the earlier Shs676.7bn the Ministry had been allocated in the 2021/2022 budget.
The Minister told Budget Committee of the urgency to effect budget reallocations to ensure the staff of REA and Ministry of Science and Technology receive their funds.
“There is an urgent need to effect transfer to enable payment of staff and other contractual 309staff who haven’t been paid salary 134 science 175 under REA. In order to ensure continued delivery of services, ensure allow reallocation of resources,” said Musasizi.
However, Muwanga Kivumbi (Butambala County) pointed out the loopholes in the figures presented by Ministry of Finance, saying the money being transferred is different from the figures approved by Parliament in the 2021/2022 budget.
“When you look at appropriation Act, there is Shs4bn difference from the figure they are presenting, why the disparity? Look at numbers of Appropriation Act and what they are coming to request for,” Kivumbi noted.
This prompted Minister Musasizi to ask the Committee to allow him withdraw the document and harmonise the figures submitted before Parliament. “Can I withdraw these figures, because Hon. Kivumbi raises a very good point, what we are moving here must be consistent with Appropriation Act, without any revision, no addition, no subtraction,” said Musasizi.
