Ugandans gear up for 2014/15 budget

Jun 12, 2014

Finance minister, Maria Kiwanuka, is set to present the 2014/15 national budget to Parliament later in the afternoon.

By Vision Reporter

Finance minister, Maria Kiwanuka, is set to present the 2014/15 national budget to Parliament later in the afternoon.


Each financial year, the finance minister performs the duty on behalf of the President. After the presentation of budget speech, the President reacts to it.

 MPs, donors, the private sector and NGO leaders will keenly listen to the budget speech at Serena Kampala Hotel.

This will be the third budget speech Kiwanuka reads as other East African Community finance ministers do the same.

“This budget will be a continuation of last year’s budget in targeting resources at infrastructure, value-for-money on government projects leveraging domestic resources and pushing for greater accountability,” finance minister Maria Kiwanuka told New Vision earlier this week.
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President Yoweri Museveni

According to the Framework Paper, the Government is planning to introduce a salary review commission for the civil service, give teachers their long awaited salary increments, initiate consultations into a viable national health insurance scheme, propose railway development levy and decentralise gratuity payments to civil servants away from the public service ministry.

Experts said the budget speech has moved away from the ‘midnight tonight’ policies where people were keen to hear on their radios what new taxes and policies would come into effect. Government has moved to create taxes and policies that are more predictable over a long term period.

Delivering his State of the Nation Address last week, President Yoweri Museveni said Government has prioritized agriculture, industry, services and ICT for 2014/15 financial year.

The President explained that four sectors are very crucial in wealth creation and access to employment.

The national budget is the key instrument through which government implements its policies. The Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group demands that the government should put more money into agriculture, health, roads and education.

They accuse government of not walking the talk when it comes to putting money where its mouth is and even not implementing and accounting for where huge amounts of funds are allocated.

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