Oulanyah directs committees to prioritise budgeting process

Mar 27, 2019

Parliament is required to complete the budgeting process with the final appropriation of money in the national budget before the end of May

The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Jacob Oulanyah, has directed sectoral committees of parliament to suspend all other activities and concentrate on the budgeting process.

Highlighting the budget timelines enshrined in the Public Finance Management Act, Oulanyah said parliament is behind schedule.

Oulanyah tasked all committees except the committee of the national economy working on urgent loan requests and the select committees, to give priority to the budgeting process so that they can redeem the lost time.

The Deputy Speaker on Tuesday noted that whereas the law requires ministries to present their ministerial budget policy statements by 15th March, many ministries were yet to present theirs.

Oulanyah explained he had granted a request from the Leader of Opposition for an extension of two weeks for the shadow ministers to present their alternative policy statements since the government policy statements had delayed.

The law stipulates that the opposition shadow ministers are supposed to present alternative policy statements by March 29.

Oulanyah also reminded the ministry of finance about the legal requirement to have the revised budget estimates presented by April 1.

Parliament is required to complete the budgeting process with the final appropriation of money in the national budget before the end of May.

As the government presents the revised budget estimates next week, it will be required to present the planned fiscal policy including new tax measures and the list of the accounting officers for the next financial year.

As the law requires, the government through the ministry of finance presented the draft budget (budget framework paper) for the 2019/20 financial year totalling sh34.3trillion.

As it has been the case in the last 10 years, the works and transport sector will continue to take the lion's share of the national budget. The sector's budget has been increased from sh4.7trillion to sh5.3trillion.

Domestic revenue collection mostly from taxes is projected to increase from sh16.4trillion set for the current financial year to sh18.3trillion in the next financial year.

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