CSBAG WEEKLY BUDGET NEWS ISSUE 54. We welcome you to the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) weekly news update of the budget events that have made headline news this

1. management of the Petroleum Investment
Reserve. It provides for the sharing of royalties
from oil and for accounting for classified
expenditure.
They opposed the proposal that the certificate
of gender equity to be issued by the attorney.
They want the Equal Opportunities
Commission to issue this certificate.
CSBAG BUDGET NEWS BRIEF
54th
EDITION |26th
May- 1st
June 2014
...advocating for people centered budgets that dignifies humanity
CSOs want Special Committee on Classified Expenditure
Of budget by 31st
May according to CSBAG this
might provide adequate time to assess the
previous budget performance to inform the
current budget priorities especially in a situation
where local governments usually report after a
year.
“The sector ministries despite receiving the work
plans and performance reports from local
governments do not provide any feedback on the
reports, which implies that the issues raised in
these reports are not addressed and continue to
affect service delivery as well as accountability,”
said Julius Kapwepwe.
CSBAG further recommended that oil revenues
should be used for recurrent expenditure such as
health, education and agriculture and not to be
restricted to only development expenditure as
proposed in the Public Finance Bill.
The passing and implementation of the new Public
Finance Bill 2012 hit a hitch as Parliament went on
recess without passing it. The Bill seeks to provide
for the fiscal and macroeconomic management,
provide for multiyear budgeting to cater for long
term projects.
The Bill provides for contingency, excess and
supplementary funds. It provides for the roles of
minister for finance, secretary to the treasury and
accounting officers.
The Bill also seeks to repeal the Public Finance and
Accountability Act 2003 and the Budget Act 2001
to consolidate them. But MPs have opposed
repealing the Budget Act because it would scrap
the Parliament budget office which has experts
scrutinizing the budget to support Parliament.
The Bill establishes the Petroleum Investment
Fund, provide for the establishment and
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)
under their umbrella body the Civil
Society Budget Advocacy group
(CSBAG) have asked government to
consider setting up a special
committee of eminent persons to
scrutinize and monitor
government’s classified (Secret)
expenditure.
This was at a CSBAG press conference on the
Public Finance Bill, 2012 which is currently before
Parliament.
In their analysis of the Public Finance Bill, 2012,
CSBAG said there was need for government to set
up an independent committee to study the
expenditure of resources under the classified
budget for accountability purposes.
“In the recent past classified expenditure has been
used as a basis to misuse public funds. The current
provision on the bill is not strong enough to deter
misuse of public funds through classified
expenditure,” said Julius Mukunda the Coordinator
CSBAG.
The Director Programs Uganda Debt Network
Julius Kapwepwe added that; “we are not against
this kind of expenditure or saying it should phased
out but what we want is to have eminent people
like religious leaders to ensure there is
accountability”.
According to the Public Finance Bill, classified
expenditure is money appropriated in confidence
for defense and national security purposes and
Section 20 sub section (2) of bill provides that for
confidentiality of the defense and national security
matters, a budget for classified expenditure shall
be presented as a single line item.
Addressing journalists at Uganda Debt Network
offices in Ntinda Kampala on Sunday, CSBAG also
expressed concern over the proposal by the bill to
have the parliament’s committee on budget
disbanded saying it would affect parliament’s role
on oversight and accountability.
The CSOs want the committee retained to help in
scrutiny of wasteful expenditure by government
during the budgeting process.
CSBAG decried the delay by parliament to pass
the Bill saying if passed, the bill would guide
implementation of the activities in the local and
national budget processes, promote public
accountability and give guidance on transparent
management of oil resources.
They criticized the proposed budget calendar in
the public finance bill which suggests the passing
of the budget by
The Permanent Secretary /Secretary to the Treasury, Ministry of Finance Keith Muhakanizi (standing) addresses members of Civil
Society Budget Advocacy Group during a press conference on the Public Finance Bill, 2012 at UDN offices on 1st
June 2014
Positive Aspects that CSBAG wants retained in
the Bill:
1. Civil Society commends the committees for
retaining the Parliamentary Budget Office
to strengthen the parliamentary oversight
over the budget process.
2. We appreciate the strategic controls on the
management of the supplementary budgets
by making them urgent, unabsorbable,
unavoidable with a legal basis and
limited only to funds available to the
contingency fund
3. Aligning government planning to the
Charter of Fiscal Responsibilities (CFR)
to the National Development Plan and
the Vision 2040.
4. Making consultation on the budget
preparation mandatory with relevant
stakeholders.
5. Parliament has been given powers to
Approve Guarantees and Loans as well as
consider the report on existing guarantees.
6. we welcome the Committee’s
recommendation for the issuance of a
Certificate of Gender Equity by the
Attorney General.Produced by the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG).
Vubya close, Ntinda Nawaka Stretcher Road| P.O BOX 660, Ntinda Fixed line +256 755202154 |website: www.csbag.org, Email: csag@csbag.org

2. Budget news that made headlines in the media
Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG)
P.O. Box 660, Ntinda| Plot 15 Vubya Close, Ntinda Nakawa Rd | Fixed Line: +256-41-286063 | Mob: +256-755-202-154
| E-mail: csbag@csbag.org |Web www.csbag.org | @CSBAGUGANDA CSBAG/Facebook.com
Fire non-performing officers Parliament tells executive
Parliament has asked the executive to fire all Accounting officers who have violated the law by failing to submit the names of
Public servants to the treasury. This was after a heated debate where the Ministry of Finance and Public service were put to task
to explain why Salaries of Public servants have not been paid for over three months now. Tororo County MP and Shadow
Minister for Finance Geoffrey Ekanya put the blame to the Ministry of Finance for failing to take action to Accounting Officers
whom he said are incompetent and cannot do their work as required by the law. Read more>>>
CAOs want salary payment process decentralised
Chief Administration Officers (CAOs) have called for a complete decentralization of all salary payment processes in order to
address salary and payroll anomalies of civil servants. They suggested that payrolls should be generated by local governments
and forwarded to the ministry of finance for final processing copied to the ministry of public service because the ministry of
public service always delays in accessing staff on payroll and sending preliminary payrolls late to the districts. Read more>>>
President Museveni directs cabinet to dissolve NAADS
President Yoweri Museveni has directed Cabinet to dissolve the infamous National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS)
project due to its poor performance and that the funds which were hitherto allocated to the project be utilized to enhance agro
based production. President Museveni said this yesterday while addressing a delegation of 550 Central Region NRM youth
leaders led by the Central Region Youth MP, Patrick Nakabale at State House, Entebbe. Read more>>>
Donor aid cuts worry Kalangala officials
Donors have cut financial support to the tune of Shs800 million to Kalangala District for the financial year 2014/2015, a move
that is expected to affect the district’s implementation of its budget. According to the secretary for finance, Mr Julius Mukasa
Opondo, Iceland International Development Agency (ICEIDA), which supports Kalangala District Development Programme, will
now provide only Shs2.4 billion instead of the annual Shs3.2 billion. He made the remarks during the 2014/2015 budget
proposal reading last Friday at the district council hall. Read more >>>
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO
 Civil society budget listening conference at
WBS TV Auditorium on 12th
June 2014
starting at 2PM – OPEN INVITATION’
 Press Conference on the ‘Budget that we
Want’ – 6th
June 2014
JUNE ISSUE OF THE BLACKMONDAY
NEWSLETTER
Look out for June Issue of the Black Monday
Newsletter which was spearheaded by CSBAG and the
Uganda Debt Network (UDN)
Full-scale oil production 'to begin within two years'
Speaking at an IMF meeting in Maputo that is plotting "Africa's rise", Maria Kiwanuka promised that the government would not
squander the windfall that will come with the exploration of an estimated 3.5 billion barrels of crude, and would not become a
petro-state. She added that oil would only be one part of a bigger recipe to develop the economy. Kiwanuka said the
government had already started working to make sure the oil cash will not be syphoned away from the state coffers. Read more
>>>
UPCOMING EVENTS
Budget Voice of the week About Citizens’ Perception of the budget
“YOUTH PERSPECTIVE ON THE BUDGET’