Minister Kasaija asked to apologise over budget figures

BUDGET |

The Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, has asked finance minister Matia Kasaija to apologise for reading figures in his budget speech for 2020/21 that were at variance with what Parliament passed on April 24.

This was after Kasaija had explained to the House presided over by Kadaga that the difference arose out of the fact that they received additional funding from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and African Development Bank after Parliament had approved the sh45.5 trillion budget.

"The matter is clear that you attempted to usurp our powers," Kadaga told Kasaija on Thursday.

But Kasaija stuck to his guns. "I didn't say that I was going to spend these additional resources before I come back here. I only informed the country and the House of these additional resources that had been obtained and I said I will come back to this House to seek appropriation through a supplementary," he said.

He wondered how he usurped the powers of Parliament. "I didn't usurp the powers of Parliament... I will not spend these resources until Parliament has appropriated them or has had a say." 

Read details of this story in tomorrow's Saturday Vision.