Odonga Otto, the Aruu South County Member of Parliament has demanded for measures that will make it difficult for the President to make pledges when the budget has already been passed by Parliament.
Otto’s remarks come shortly after the Executive Director to National Planning Authority, Dr.Joseph Muwala told a Parliamentary Committee on Budgets that they were constrained by unfulfilled pledges by the President.
He says that every time the President visits different constituencies and districts, the electorates ask him for different things which sometimes cannot be met because of the budget constraints.
He says each leader including LC 1 to be availed with a copy of the budget and a strategic plan and that anyone who asks the president for something that is not streamlined be arrested.
Otto says that it would be dangerous for the Authority to prioritize instructions other than an approved budget.
The Chairperson of the Budgetary Committee, Henry Musasizi , conquered with Otto saying that these unbudgeted pledges result into the President promising ‘air’ to his electorates.
Musasizi says there is need for government to adopt guiding principles which it should follow while making these pledges for better implementation of government plans.
However, the minister of state for planning, David Bahati refuted claims that the President promises air and instead blamed ministries which he says fail to capture the President’s pledges for implementation.
Bahati also says that in order to reduce the 400 billion domestic arrears government has ordered all ministries to make it a priority to pay all the companies that owe them money in this first quarter and they have instructed them to stop acquiring services from companies when they know they do not have the money to pay them.
