Video: MoH MESSAGE ON CHILDREN & MATERNAL HEALTH
By Mulengera Reporters
Led by Kira Municipality’s Ibrahim Semujju Nganda, the opposition MPs sitting on the budget committee of Parliament on Wednesday presented their minority report making a strong case protesting the manner in which the funding votes relating to REA and the Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation (STI) are being collapsed into Energy Ministry and State House respectively.
The minority report was presented by Nganda during the plenary and it was signed by him, Muwanga Kivumbi, Anna Adeke, JB Nambeshe and Gorette Namuga. This was immediately after Committee Vice Chairman Mudini Wamakuyu presented the majority report unreservedly authorizing everything as was requested for by the executive. Whereas Nganda and Adeke are from FDC, the others are from Kyagulanyi’s NUP party. Nganda asserted that much as they aren’t opposed to the collapsing of the votes parse, there were procedural issues relating to the provisions of the Public Finance Management Act which hadn’t been complied with. He faulted the process for equally not complying with the rules of parliament themselves. He also disputed the circumstances under Finance Minister Matia Kasaija tabled his motion seeking Parliamentary authorization to reallocate the funds to State House and Energy Ministry.
That it’s in total violation of the PFMA for the function of the disbanded STI Ministry to be transferred to Ministry of the Presidency and yet the accompanying funding (Shs265bn) is sent to State House to be controlled by State House Comptroller as opposed to the Presidency Ministry Permanent Secretary. While decreeing the abolition of the STI Ministry, Gen Museveni asserted that the functions of the same now go to be under the Ministry in charge of Office of the Presidency (vote 001) and be financially serviced by State House Comptroller (vote 002). The minority report authors asserted that its unacceptable anomaly for funds and functions not to move in the same direction.
That when he appeared before the Budget Committee, the funds’ reallocation motion sponsor Matia Kasaija was focused on some of the procedural breaches (relating to Section 20 of PFMA) he had committed as he rushed to table his motion and he owned up while offering to revise things there and then as opposed to coming back to plenary. Nganda said this was anomalous and breached the rules of procedure of Parliament and it’s the reason they dissented from the majority report. Nganda said that as the minority, they were disappointed that even colleagues who were unanimous in highlighting the Kasaija anomaly had now shifted goal posts, signing onto the main report, as if everything was okay. They demanded the entire motion be withdrawn and re-tabled afresh to comply with the requirements of the rules and provisions of PFMA.
The minority report authors also raised a red flag about the anomaly related to Parliament rushing to approve reallocation of all those billions (Shs265bn for STI Ministry and over Shs527bn for REA) without insisting on having the new staffing structures approved. That proceeding without having the newly enacted staffing structure approved, and in place, will affect service delivery besides diminishing the capacity of the Energy Ministry and State House (into which the two votes are being collapsed) to adequately absorb the reallocated budgets within the FY. That what the Public Service Ministry PS told the committee was that there is a proposed new structure in place which is yet to be approved by both the Wandegeya-based Ministry and Cabinet for the same to begin being implemented.
They also proposed that instead of collapsing the STI Ministry vote into State House, it should have been created into an autonomous vote under the Office of the Presidency Ministry as is the case for the others like ESO, ISO, Uganda Aids Commission, the Ministry of Ethics & Integrity and others. That State House is, as stated in its mission statement, charged with welfare, security and residency of the President and Vice President. That it basically has two units namely house-keeping and PPS. All this makes it inappropriate to domicile such an important business as STI under State House, the opposition MPs asserted in their well-articulated minority report.
Nganda stressed that collapsing the STI vote there would dilute State House from its core mandate of catering for the residency, security and welfare of the President, his family and Vice President. “We are fearful the funds could also easily be diverted into house hold obligations yet innovations is such a key pillar under the NDP III,” Nganda said cajoling fellow MPs to be cautious while approving proposals to collapse the Innovations Ministry at a time the country is beginning to earnestly roll out its NDP III.
Generally, the opposition didn’t have much objection to the overall report save for the demands that the same motion be re-tabled and moved properly in a manner that complies with Parliament’s own rules of procedure and the PFMA Act. They also demanded that all agencies that were earmarked, as per the original Public Service Ministry schedule, for disbandment this FY be handled at once as opposed to isolating and dealing with one entity at a time.
They equally wondered why REA had immediately been targeted for disbandment ahead of the other MDAs that were flagged for restructuring. They suspected something sinister in the way the rationalization of government MDAs was beginning to be implemented. Fully aware of their numerical susceptibility, the opposition legislators made it clear that they wanted to go on record for having raised the red flag regardless of what the majority MPs opt for in the end. (For comments on this story, call, text or whatsapp us on 0705579994, 0779411734, 0200900416 or email us at mulengera2040@gmail.com).