JOHANNESBURG - Ugandan Parliamentarians on the Budget Committee have expressed mixed feelings over a classified increase in expenditure for the Ugandan People’s Defence Forces (UPDF), querying whether the money may be hidden away and used by the government at a later stage for political activities to the detriment of the economy.
The matter was raised by the Butambala county legislator Muwanga Kivumbi during a debate on the UPDF’s supplementary expenditure amounting to UGX 369.9bn (over R1 billion) and presented by the State Minister for Veteran Affairs Bright Rwamirama, Uganda’s Chimp Reports media outlet reported.`
The minister said the money was needed for classified expenditure on top of other expenditure including, special meals, fuel, clothing, and medical products private hospital bills).
But Kivumbi wondered aloud whether the money would be stashed away by the government for later use along political lines while damaging the economy.
He added that there were no corresponding benefits to be gained from the classified expenditure as far as ensuring security within the country was concerned, given the prevailing criminality and insecurity.
However, budget committee parliamentarians responded by saying “it was not proper for the classified expenditures to be discussed”.