management of the Petroleum Investment Reserve. It provides for the sharing of royalties from oil and for accounting for classified expenditure.

They opposed the proposal that the certificate of gender equity to be issued by the attorney. They want the Equal Opportunities Commission to issue this certificate.

CSBAG BUDGET NEWS BRIEF

54th EDITION |26th May- 1st June 2014

...advocating for people centered budgets that dignifies humanity

CSOs want Special Committee on Classified Expenditure

Of budget by 31st May according to CSBAG this might provide adequate time to assess the previous budget performance to inform the current budget priorities especially in a situation where local governments usually report after a year.

“The sector ministries despite receiving the work plans and performance reports from local governments do not provide any feedback on the reports, which implies that the issues raised in these reports are not addressed and continue to affect service delivery as well as accountability,” said Julius Kapwepwe.

CSBAG further recommended that oil revenues should be used for recurrent expenditure such as health, education and agriculture and not to be restricted to only development expenditure as proposed in the Public Finance Bill.

The passing and implementation of the new Public Finance Bill 2012 hit a hitch as Parliament went on recess without passing it. The Bill seeks to provide for the fiscal and macroeconomic management, provide for multiyear budgeting to cater for long term projects.

The Bill provides for contingency, excess and supplementary funds. It provides for the roles of minister for finance, secretary to the treasury and accounting officers.

The Bill also seeks to repeal the Public Finance and Accountability Act 2003 and the Budget Act 2001 to consolidate them. But MPs have opposed repealing the Budget Act because it would scrap the Parliament budget office which has experts scrutinizing the budget to support Parliament.

The Bill establishes the Petroleum Investment Fund, provide for the establishment and

Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) under their umbrella body the Civil

Society Budget Advocacy group (CSBAG) have asked government to

consider setting up a special committee of eminent persons to

scrutinize and monitor government’s classified (Secret)

expenditure.

This was at a CSBAG press conference on the Public Finance Bill, 2012 which is currently before Parliament.

In their analysis of the Public Finance Bill, 2012, CSBAG said there was need for government to set up an independent committee to study the expenditure of resources under the classified budget for accountability purposes.

“In the recent past classified expenditure has been used as a basis to misuse public funds. The current provision on the bill is not strong enough to deter misuse of public funds through classified expenditure,” said Julius Mukunda the Coordinator CSBAG.

The Director Programs Uganda Debt Network Julius Kapwepwe added that; “we are not against this kind of expenditure or saying it should phased out but what we want is to have eminent people like religious leaders to ensure there is accountability”.

According to the Public Finance Bill, classified expenditure is money appropriated in confidence for defense and national security purposes and Section 20 sub section (2) of bill provides that for confidentiality of the defense and national security matters, a budget for classified expenditure shall be presented as a single line item.

Addressing journalists at Uganda Debt Network offices in Ntinda Kampala on Sunday, CSBAG also expressed concern over the proposal by the bill to have the parliament’s committee on budget disbanded saying it would affect parliament’s role on oversight and accountability.

The CSOs want the committee retained to help in scrutiny of wasteful expenditure by government during the budgeting process.

CSBAG decried the delay by parliament to pass the Bill saying if passed, the bill would guide implementation of the activities in the local and national budget processes, promote public accountability and give guidance on transparent management of oil resources.

They criticized the proposed budget calendar in the public finance bill which suggests the passing of the budget by

The Permanent Secretary /Secretary to the Treasury, Ministry of Finance Keith Muhakanizi (standing) addresses members of Civil

Society Budget Advocacy Group during a press conference on the Public Finance Bill, 2012 at UDN offices on 1st June 2014

Positive Aspects that CSBAG wants retained in the Bill: 1. Civil Society commends the committees for

retaining the Parliamentary Budget Office to strengthen the parliamentary oversight over the budget process.

2. We appreciate the strategic controls on the management of the supplementary budgets by making them urgent, unabsorbable, unavoidable with a legal basis and limited only to funds available to the contingency fund

3. Aligning government planning to the

Charter of Fiscal Responsibilities (CFR) to the National Development Plan and the Vision 2040.

4. Making consultation on the budget

preparation mandatory with relevant stakeholders.

5. Parliament has been given powers to

Approve Guarantees and Loans as well as consider the report on existing guarantees.

6. we welcome the Committee’s

recommendation for the issuance of a Certificate of Gender Equity by the Attorney General.

Produced by the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG).

Vubya close, Ntinda Nawaka Stretcher Road| P.O BOX 660, Ntinda Fixed line +256 755202154 |website: www.csbag.org, Email: csag@csbag.org

Budget news that made headlines in the media

Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) P.O. Box 660, Ntinda| Plot 15 Vubya Close, Ntinda Nakawa Rd | Fixed Line: +256-41-286063 | Mob: +256-755-202-154

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Fire non-performing officers Parliament tells executive

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CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO

Civil society budget listening conference at

WBS TV Auditorium on 12th

June 2014

starting at 2PM – OPEN INVITATION’

Press Conference on the ‘Budget that we

Want’ – 6th

June 2014

JUNE ISSUE OF THE BLACKMONDAY

NEWSLETTER

Look out for June Issue of the Black Monday

Newsletter which was spearheaded by CSBAG and the

Uganda Debt Network (UDN)

Full-scale oil production 'to begin within two years' Speaking at an IMF meeting in Maputo that is plotting "Africa's rise", Maria Kiwanuka promised that the government would not squander the windfall that will come with the exploration of an estimated 3.5 billion barrels of crude, and would not become a petro-state. She added that oil would only be one part of a bigger recipe to develop the economy. Kiwanuka said the government had already started working to make sure the oil cash will not be syphoned away from the state coffers. Read more >>>

UPCOMING EVENTS Budget Voice of the week About Citizens’ Perception of the budget “YOUTH PERSPECTIVE ON THE BUDGET’