The Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development has suspended recruitment of staff and also added them to the government payroll in the fourth quarter of this financial year (2023/24).

This was revealed by the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi on Friday, April 12, while announcing the fourth quarter budget release at the Ministry of Finance offices in Kampala.

In the coming quarter (April to June), the finance ministry has released sh7.687 trillion representing a 30.4% budget. This brings the total government release for the financial year 2023/24 to sh28.564 trillion.

Of the released funds, 25.7% will go towards wages like salaries across government institutions,28.8% to non-wages which will also cater for the Parish Development Modal, government development programs will take 40.2% of the budget and then arrears will take 4.8%.

Ggoobi also warned that any shortfalls arising from Accounting Officers recruiting staff without authority by the Ministry of Public Service shall be deducted from the unconditional non-wage grant or local revenue to address the resultant funding gap.

In the same meeting, Julius Mukunda, the Executive Director of CSBAG hailed the audits on the government payroll and sanctions to accounting officers whom he said have caused the government more financial losses.

Mukunda also called upon the government and Uganda Revenue Authority to increase the sensitization of taxpayers about Electronic Fiscal Receipting and Invoicing Solution (EFRIS) and other tax obligations.