Opposition MPs reject UGX 360m annual budget spent on Museveni clothes

A section of legislators want shs 350 million  scrapped off State House annual budget used to buy President Yoweri Museveni’s clothes.

The MPs, presenting a minority report reasoned that if a President requires the 350 million to change his wardrobe, it automatically means he uses she 1 million daily spend on clothing considering that a year has 365 days (rounding off to the nearest).

The MPs made the revelation on Thursday morning as Parliament chaired by the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Anita Among sat to consider the supply for the national Budget of the financial year 2023/24.
Opposition MPs sitting on the Budget Committee have authored a minority report showing that they do not agree with the Budget Committee on non-compliance, budget being inconsistent with the plan for 2023/24,  facilitation of recourse envelope, revenue impropriety, and, specific issues on budget allocations.

Hon Muwanga Kivumbi who is among the five MPs who authored a minority report identified about shs 454 billion which they think would be wasteful expenditure by the President. A case in point is the shs 350 million provided for buying clothes which they feel is a wasteful expenditure as the  President would spend shs 1 million per day on clothes.
“Our President is not a star from Hollywood requiring to change wardrobe every day. He is a President of a poor country. Why buy him clothes worth shs 350 million every year. What happened to the clothes that we bought last year?” Outspoken Kivumbi queried.
The Minority Report also questions the budget allocations to  Presidency and State House. They argue that instead of providing for one residence for the President, the government has allocated money for both Nakasero State Lodge and State House Entebbe.

In the Budget Committee report presented by Chairperson, Hon. Patrick Isiagi Opolot, it has been revealed that Public Debt is projected to increase by 2.5% in this financial year. Public debt in the first half of  2021/23 FY was Shs78.7 trillion (USD20.98b) and in the current FY, it is at Ushs80.7 trillion (USD21.74b).


Out of this, shs 47.7 trillion (USD12.85b) is external debt representing 59.1% of the total public debt while 40.9% of the debt totalling Ushs33 trillion (USD 8.89b) is domestic debt.
“Government should be committed to fiscal discipline to minimise deviations from the projected path. To this end, the government should ensure that over the medium term, borrowing is limited to critical projects while minimising acquisition of the debt on non-concessional terms.” reads part of the recommendations.

With the National Budget expected to be passed by Parliament and read by the Minister of Finance on June 14, 2023, here are the key strategic priorities for the next financial year.