Suspend Travel Expenses; CSBAG Urges Parliament

Facing a ballooning public debt of Shs 96.17 trillion, Ugandan civil society is urging the government to tighten its belt, with their sights set on a significant expense: travel abroad. The Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) is calling for a bold move – suspending the appropriation of the government’s travel abroad budget for the 2024/25 financial year.

Their call comes at a crucial juncture, as Uganda grapples with a rising debt burden and concerns about fiscal mismanagement. According to the latest Auditor General’s report, public debt has surged by Shs 9.33 trillion compared to the previous year, raising alarm bells about the country’s financial stability.

CSBAG argues that a significant portion of the recent supplementary budget, approved by Parliament in November 2023, was used to address shortfalls in recurrent expenditure. They contend that such instances not only expose misuse of supplementary provisions but also highlight poor planning and forecasting within government agencies.

“Most of the funded issues in the supplementary budget are not worth it,” CSBAG states in their position paper. “For example, the Ministry of Health requested a supplementary budget of Shs 2.7 billion for supervision costs for Lubowa Hospital. This was not being cost effective given the fact that the hospital is still on foundation and a lot of money has already been spent without any meaningful progress made.”

Their proposed solution – suspending the travel abroad budget – aims to curb unnecessary spending and redirect resources towards pressing domestic needs. Projections indicate that the travel abroad budget is set to peak at Sh107.8 billion in the coming year, a significant increase from Sh90 billion in the last fiscal year.

While some MPs, like Karim Masaba, acknowledge the need for fiscal prudence, they express reservations about the feasibility of a complete ban on travel.

“When you look at for example Parliament, you cannot tell us that the budget for Parliament for travel abroad can be removed. We have members of parliament who represent our Parliament in the Pan-African Parliament and Commonwealth parliament, they have to go there and attend those meetings,” Masaba observed.

Deputy Chairperson of the Budget Committee, Achia Remigio, called for a more nuanced approach, urging CSBAG to go beyond simply advocating for a ban on supplementaries.

“Budget suppression can indirectly lead to reallocation,” Remigio pointed out. “We need a more detailed analysis of the impact of supplementaries on our growth and development goals.”