Another ministry thrown out over non-compliance to budget law

Apr 26, 2017

The Parliament physical infrastructure committee yesterday turned away the ministry of lands, housing and urban development delegation castigating them for not meeting the requirements which are clearly spelled out in section 13 (15) of the Public Finance Management Act

 Another ministry was yesterday chased away from parliament for presenting a budget ministerial policy statement which does not meet the requirements of the law.

The Parliament physical infrastructure committee yesterday turned away the ministry of lands, housing and urban development delegation castigating them for not meeting the requirements which are clearly spelled out in section 13 (15) of the Public Finance Management Act which was assented to in February 2015.

On Wednesday the same committee threw out the team from the ministry of works and transport led by their minister Azuba Ntege because out of the 9 reports they are supposed to have put in their statement they only put in one.

Speaking angrily yesterday, Kapelebyong County MP Julius Ochen said, "Read section 13 (15) clearly states the requirements. It is absurd that the ministry did not follow the law. I want the like the minister to tell us whether he is aware of the law."

Erute County South MP Jonathan Odur said, "This is confirmation of incompetence by the ministry of lands because they were not to realize on their own the requirements of the law and we had to educate them on that. Let us chase them away. We cannot entertain them."

The state minister for housing, Dr. Chris Baryomunsi who led the team blamed the ministry of finance for giving them a new budget tool which he claimed doesn't allow them to put all the information they are supposed to put in the budget policy statement.

"Yes we are aware of the requirements of the law and we are not incompetent as someone has said. If you compare with other committees, other ministries also had the same challenge. The ministry of finance came up with a new tool for preparing the budget."

But the committee chairman Denis Sabiiti quickly interjected and said, "We don't want to hear this excuse of a new tool. If the tool could not allow you comply with the law, why didn't you abandon it? Members of the committee don't want to hear that again."

Sabiiti noted that out of the 9 requirements in the law, the ministry of lands, housing and urban development had complied with only three.

The missing reports included the procurement plan, certificate of gender equity, vehicle utilization report, recruitment plan, assets register, cash flow projections and report on actions taken to implement recommendations by the Auditor General. 

Baryomunsi told the committee he had come with the reports but the committee ruled that he goes back and incorporates them into the ministerial budget policy statement.

According to the Public Finance Management Act, all ministries were supposed to have submitted their ministerial policy statements within a period not exceeding March 15, 2017.

Stating that he had observed so many ministries are weighed down with incompetence, Sabiiti warned that those in charge of public offices to take heed otherwise they would have to lose their jobs.  

The ministry of finance distanced itself from excuses that its new budget tool is what has failed some ministries to comply with the law.

Speaking to New Vision yesterday, the ministry of finance commissioner for budget policy Godwin Kakama said, "We went to the parliament budget committee and told them that such excuses by ministries are baseless. The tool allows them to put all the information required by law. They just chose not to do so. There are many other ministries and entities that complied. Let them pay for their negligence." 

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