KACITA (Kampala City Trader’s Association) is calling on the president to rein in government expenditure and take affirmative action on the rising prices of commodities.

Thaddeus Musoke, the chairman of KACITA, says President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni should address the issue of cabinet expenditure and the skyrocketing prices squarely in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) slated to take place this afternoon.

“This situation needs urgent action, the President must act now and stop the unnecessary expenditure. There certain things which don’t sit well in people’s ears especially when the inflation is very high and government asks for more supplementary budgets,” he said in an interview.

This comes after parliament approved a supplementary budget of sh617.97b for the 3rd June Martyrs’ day activities, classified expenditure, and Uganda People’s Defence Forces –UPDF operations in Congo amidst the parliament’s controversial spending of over sh200b on Speakers’ cars.

The approval followed a request by Henry Musasizi, the Minister of State for Finance – General Duties. The supplementary budget is for this financial year 2021/2022 which is scheduled to end on June 30.

Some of the approved funds for different activities include sh77b under State House for classified expenditure, sh64.49b to facilitate UPDF Operation Shujaa in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), sh87.5b for UPDF operations in Karamoja sub-region and sh251.7b for wage shortfalls and others.

The others are sh86.3b under the Office of the President to cater for external financing from EXIM Bank for the National Science, Technology, Engineering and Innovation Skills Enhance Project (NSTEI-SEP), sh66b for completion of Kayunga and Yumbe hospitals, sh25b for works on security roads in Karamoja region and others.

Musoke also says that for the economy to fix itself, government should engage stakeholders on reducing the prevailing taxes and or allow alternative solutions like the railway transport to save the public from spending a lot on public transport due to skyrocketing fuel prices.

“Government should engage further with stakeholders key sectors and find out why the prices of raw materials are very high in Uganda compared to our neighbours. It is too sad we get vegetables, maize, beans and maize from Tanzania yet we can grow them here in all seasons,” he said.