The Office of the Presidency has been left with the challenge of fighting off the over Shs100bn budget shortfall after the Treasury rejected most of the budget requests the entity had proposed in the 2019/2020 budget.
While presenting the ministerial policy statement before the Presidential Affairs Committee yesterday, Esther Mbayo, the Minister of the Presidency, who led her team highlighted a number of unfunded priorities the institution is set to face in the coming financial year.
The Minister told the Committee that whereas the Ministry requested Shs4.79bn for the implementation of manifesto in 135 districts, only was Shs2.79bn was approved, leaving a shortfall of Shs2bn.
For the Cabinet support, the projection was Shs4.2bn, but only Shs3.1bn was approved, leaving funding gap of Shs1.14bn and the Shs12nn to be used by RDCs to monitor Government projects was reduced to Shs6.5bn, leaving funding gap of Shs5.5bn and the celebrations of three national functions including Independence Day, NRA Victory and Heroes day stand in jeopardy after the Shs1.9bn budget was rejected in its totality.
The Ministry also requested Shs9.5bn to evaluate the performance of Government programs, conduct an impact evaluation report on Operation Wealth Creation and an impact evaluation report on Youth Livelihood but only Shs3.5bn was allocated, leaving gap of Shs6Bn.
The Ministry is also looking at purchasing 165 double cabin pickups for RDCs that require Shs25.41bn and only Shs4.5bn availed leaving gap of Shs20.190bn while the Operationalization of new districts that would cost Shs53bn was rejected and office accommodation of RDCs that was meant to cost Shs7bn has only received funding to a tune of Shs700M, leaving funding gap of Shs6.3bn.
To follow through with its Patriotic and Nationalistic lessons, Government is needs Shs5.9bn to be used for participant’s accommodation and dining facilities built at National Leadership Institute, but none has been availed yet the same money would be used for the establishment of patriotism clubs in secondary schools and tertiary institutions, patriotism activities monitored as well as double cabin pickups purchased requested for Shs7.15bn and none availed.
In total, the Ministry has been left with a funding gab in excess of Shs100bn.
