PS Ggoobi reveals games MDAs play to justify budget requests

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Finance ministry permanent secretary Ramadhan Ggoobi has revealed games government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) play to justify budget requests.

He said on Friday (August 22) that some of the games include requesting more than what the MDA requires, which he called “padding play”, and playing the ''crisis card'' game, where an MDA claims that there will be catastrophic outcomes for the public if their request is not fulfilled.

Ggoobi said the other common game among others is the ''mandate masquerade'' where MDAs emphasise their mandate to justify budget requests.

This is contained in a statement the finance ministry shared on X, formerly Twitter, about the meeting it organised on Friday at Speke Resort in Kampala to deliberate on issues impacting the planning and budgeting function across the Government.

Ggoobi, who is also the country's secretary to the Treasury, cautioned planners to guard against engaging in these budget games during planning, budgeting, execution and reporting.

He challenged them to align institutional work plans to the national development strategy, and also ensure efficiency in service delivery.

Ggoobi stated that all Government policies and plans must be guided by the Tenfold Growth Strategy, the National Development Plan, Program Implementation Action Plans, MDA strategic plans, annual workplans and budgets.

The permanent secretary encouraged planners to allocate resources to more critical priority areas that will deliver results in line with the socio-economic transformation agenda of Uganda.

"As planners, you ought to guide allocation of resources to essential areas and minimise accumulation of domestic arrears," he told the officers.

He warned that those found culpable will be sanctioned together with their accounting officers.

Ggoobi promised that the issue of the structure of the planning cadre will be resolved in consultation with the Ministry of Public Service.

Regarding the professionalism of the economist/planner cadre, he said plans are underway to address it, adding that he has already constituted a team, supported by the Ministry of Public Service and the National Planning Authority, to expedite the review.

"I have also directed accounting officers to adequately facilitate the planning function across all Votes," Ggoobi said.

Earlier, the chairperson of planners, Gideon Mugulusi, had asked the Government to introduce a planning conditional grant to facilitate planning activities such as data management, monitoring and evaluation.