THE TASKS AHEAD AS THE 2016/17 BUDGET TAKES SHAPE IN UGANDA

December 1st was another big stride in the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) in Uganda when the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development budget desk team sat together with  CSBAG team to defend the CSBAG budget proposal in the 2016/17 FY. RWECO as a member of CSBAG was represented in the round table discussion that were held in the MoFPED board room and chaired by Mr. Kenneth Mugambe the Director Budgeting, while the CSBAG team was led by Mr. Julius Mukunda.
 

CSBAG team and MoFPED team after the meeting on December 1st, 2015 at MoFPED board room, Kampala.

 While the  rest of the world was commemorating the World Aids day,   CSBAG team was also busy defending why government of Uganda should create an HIV/AIDS Fund to ensure proper planning and service delivery in the sector. The Director budgeting applauded the CSBAG team for their tireless efforts in ensuring budget monitoring and going ahead in participating in the budgeting process. Mr. Kenneth also alluded to the fact that CSOs are mandated by law to participate in the budget formulation but most often others have stayed away by only critizing other than being part of the budgeting and planning processes right to the local government level.

CSBAG budget priorities were: Education sector  and critical focus on the school enrollment at primary and secondary, hygiene and sanitation,  while in Health the priority was functionality of health centers, in Agriculture sector was extension services which was suspended after government shifted from the NAADs model to the operation wealth creation model. 

As CSBGA did not only present budget proposals also a look at the tax/revenue was presented which prompted the budget desk team to proposal a a committee to look at the revenue proposals presented by the CSBAG.

While was  good for citizens to participate in policy formulation, engagement with policy makers has remained minimal and for the urban elite, the rural citizens are not bathered with policy formulation but at the end they are the most affected people given that they depend on government services. RWECO has changed the trend by engaging with top government policy makers in collaboration with the Kampala based partners.

At RWECO we believe that through participating in the budgeting processes, our aim for a pro-poor budget shall be achieved as our voice is being reflected in the budget priorities.

Keep watching this space

Jimmy B.O
RWECO