By Mulengera Reporters
The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, has adjourned plenary sittings until April 1, 2025, to enable legislators to focus on Sectoral Committee work, particularly the thorough review of Ministerial Policy Statements—an essential step in approving the National Budget.
While opening Wednesday’s plenary session, Speaker Among noted that if Members of Parliament work efficiently to pass the National Budget by the end of April, they will have ample time to concentrate on political mobilization. The Electoral Commission has set September 16-17 as nomination dates for candidates vying for directly elected MP and District/City Woman MP positions ahead of the January 2026 elections. This means that the period between May and August will be particularly busy for political parties conducting primary elections, in which sitting MPs will be seeking re-election.
“To ensure timely consideration of the budget while allowing MPs to engage in political activities, we will suspend plenary sittings upon receiving the Ministerial Policy Statements. During this period, only Committees will sit, as we cannot have both Committee sessions and plenary sittings running simultaneously. Sectoral Committees and the Budget Committee will focus on reviewing the Ministerial Policy Statements,” Among stated.
Budget Process
The decision to adjourn plenary has also led to procedural adjustments regarding the presentation of alternative Ministerial Policy Statements by the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, will now guide the Shadow Cabinet in submitting these statements directly to Sectoral Committees, rather than laying them before the full House.
According to parliamentary rules, the alternative Ministerial Policy Statements must be submitted by March 27. However, given the recess, they will be forwarded to the relevant Committees for review alongside the Government’s statements.
“The Leader of the Opposition is required to present an alternative policy statement by March 27, as per Rule 147 of the Rules of Procedure. Since plenary will not be sitting, these reports will be referred administratively to the Committees, allowing them to be examined alongside the Government’s Ministerial Policy Statements. The House will then begin considering Committee reports on April 1, after reviewing both perspectives,” Among explained.
Ministerial Policy Statements
Ministerial Policy Statements outline the performance and spending plans of government agencies, linking them to broader policy objectives. Under the Public Finance Management Act, Ministers must present these statements to Parliament following the Minister of Finance’s budget proposal.
While these statements summarize the past performance of each sector and outline future expenditure plans, Parliament uses them to assess the efficiency of government agencies, as stipulated in Section 6(1) of the Budget Act, 2001. Speaker Among emphasized the importance of Sectoral Committees engaging extensively with Accounting Officers from Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to evaluate the implementation of the current budget.
“We need to compare last year’s allocations with this year’s proposals, analyze the data, and present a well-informed report to the House by April 1, 2025,” she directed.
Fiscal Strategy
Last month, Parliament approved the Budget Framework Paper (BFP) for the 2025/26 financial year, projecting a resource envelope of UGX 57.441 trillion. This aligns with the Government’s fiscal consolidation strategy, which aims to enhance domestic revenue mobilization and improve efficiency in government spending.
In the BFP, the Government aims to increase domestic revenue by UGX 1.1 trillion, from UGX 31.98 trillion in the current financial year to UGX 33.68 trillion in 2025/26. Finance Minister Matia Kasaija is expected to present the final budget proposals to Parliament in mid-April, incorporating recommendations from the BFP. By that time, the resource envelope is anticipated to increase further to accommodate additional funding priorities raised by MDAs.
Historically, the final budget often surpasses initial projections. For instance, the 2024/25 budget initially stood at UGX 52.722 trillion in the BFP but expanded to UGX 72 trillion upon approval. Since then, Parliament has passed three supplementary budgets, raising the total expenditure to UGX 77 trillion as of Wednesday.
With plenary adjourned until April, MPs will now focus on scrutinizing budgetary allocations to ensure effective resource utilization before final approval-Parliament Watch. (For comments on this story, get back to us on 0705579994 [WhatsApp line], 0779411734 & 041 4674611 or email us at mulengeranews@gmail.com).
