The Minister of State for Finance in charge of General Duties, Henry Musasizi, has defended the sh3.5 trillion supplementary budget.

Appearing before the House budget committee chaired by Patrick Isiagi on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, the minister implored members of parliament to approve the request.

The Minister was accompanied by sector ministers and accounting officers of various votes in the supplementary schedule to give details of the supplementary expenditure request.

Musasasizi presented to the Committee the justifications for the proposed resource allocations and the source of funding which include borrowing from domestic market, non-tax revenue, already committed external funding and fiscal consolidation measures.

Funding areas include: acceleration of rural electrification, water for production, road maintenance, payment of allowances for medical interns and procurement of equipment for both Uganda Cancer Institute and Uganda Heart Institute among others.

Other supplementary expenditure requests once approved will go towards organising the national population and housing census, mass enrolment and renewal of national Identity cards, infrastructural works on the military museum, reinstating of Uganda Inter-governmental fiscal transfers financing, National Farmers' Leadership Centre and funding for Munyonyo convention Centre among others.

Government through Uganda Development Corporation is proposing to give businessman Sudhir Ruparelia sh37b for the construction of Munyonyo Convention Centre to replace the planned UDB loan. This money will be an addition to the sh86.4b he had earlier received this year for this same project.

The Ministry of Gender is seeking sh2b to renovate the Gaddafi National Mosque, despite a recent court order putting up the property for sale in order to facilitate the recovery of sh19b loan the Muslim leadership had procured from businessman Justus Kyahabwa.

Ministry of lands is requesting for sh5b to compensate three kingdoms including sh2b for Bunyoro Kingdom, sh1bn, for Tooro Kingdom and sh2b for Tooro Kingdom.