President Yoweri Museveni
President Yoweri Museveni has accused MPs of sabotage and interfering with his duties of budgeting for Uganda, saying that in four years, Parliament has reallocated over Shs3Trn.
This is contained in his 22nd June 2024 letter accompanying the returned Appropriation Bill 2024.
“The recent case of the Members of Parliament that were arrested for some alleged offences has again highlighted the mistake the MPs interfering with the Constitutional mandate of the President, of budgeting for the country by reallocating monies budgeted for, the core sectors of the economy. In the past four financial years, the MPs have reallocated Shs3.1Trn. This is a real sabotage. When we reconstructed Kampala-Masaka Road, we used Shs440Bn, therefore, diverting the Shs3.1Trn, in four years, is equivalent to aborting 9 big roads of the Kampala-Masaka type or a much larger number of the smaller roads,” read in part President Museveni’s letter.
The letter added: “You have seen how much the Tirinyi-Pallisa-Kumi Road has helped the people of the area by avoiding the need to pass through Mbale City when they are travelling to Soroti. You have seen how the Musiita-Mayuge-Namayingo-Busia Road has helped the people of that area. You have seen how the Mukono-Katosi-Nkonkonjeru-Njebga Road has helped the people of that area. Yet for the Kumi-Pallisa Road, we used Shs443.42Bn only. How much happy would you have the Ugandans be if you have tarmacked the Kumi-Ngora-Serere Road? The Soroti-Amuria-Abim Road, the Kanoni-Mityana Road.”
The President compared Parliament’s actions of reallocating the funds, to sabotage, indiscipline and massive corruption, wondering why the practice has persisted despite the guidance of both the Attorney General and courts of law on the issue of reallocation of funds proposed in the budget by the Executive.
“I have written this letter, the Attorney General has guided on this matter, the court has guided, yet the practice goes on. There are three mistakes involved here these are; indiscipline in budgeting, sabotaging the national priorities and now, the suspicion of massive corruption. I am therefore writing to request that this practice stops accordingly,” the President’s letter further reads.
