Parliament yesterday approved the budget for the financial year 2016/17. The approved budget is worth 26.3 billion shillings moving from the last financial year’s budget of 23.9 trillion shillings. Ntenjeru north MP Amos Lugolobi told parliament chaired by Rebecca Kadaga that the figure was agreed upon by the committee after thorough scrutiny of the budget and making reallocations to the items which were affected before.The budget figure was approved amid some resistance from a few members of parliament who wanted the budget delayed until the ministry of foreign Affairs gives a status report on the Uganda embassies and missions abroad.
Some members of parliament like Budadiri west MP Nathan Nadala Mafabi , Paul Mwiru had stood their ground resisting the passing of this budget without a report on the Uganda’s embassies abroad. Nandala told parliament that embassies abroad are poorly managed due to under funding though he was given assurance that this financial year 15 billion shillings was allocated for proper management of the embassies which have been facing underfunding for along time.
However the minister in charge of prime minister’s office Prof. Tarsis Kabwegyere pleaded and MPs later allowed the budget approved on promise that the report on Uganda embassies abroad is brought to parliament before the end of this week. This was approved by the parliamentary committee on budget chaired by Ntenjeru north MP Amos Lugolobi. Lugolobi told parliament that the figure was agreed upon by the committee after thorough scrutiny of the budget and making reallocations to the items.