Opposition question lavish state house spending

Opposition question lavish state house spending

Members of Parliament have  passed a 233-billion-Shillings State House budget for the coming financial year 2017/2018. The budget was amidst complaints by the opposition members against what they call lavish spending and wastage of tax payers’money.

In what seemed to be a one-sided debate of the State House Budget, Opposition Chief Whip Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda questioned why State House is turned into the National Resistance Movement (NRM) party headquarters saying that party meetings held at State House cost Ugandans huge amounts of money.

Legislators adopted a report by parliament’s Presidential Affairs Committee on the proposed budget estimates. The report was presented by the committee chairperson, Nyabushozi County MP Fred Mwesigye, in a plenary session chaired by Deputy Speaker Jacob Oulanyah.

According to the report, 233 billion shillings is appropriated under recurrent expenditure while development budget takes 12.3 billion Shillings.

Of the approved budget 18.4 billion is to fund travels abroad, another 18.4 billion is to cater for inland travels while staff allowances will take 17.1 billion. At least 3.4 billion shillings is set aside for special meals and drinks while classified expenditure takes 38.4 billion.

The others are vehicle maintenance budgeted at 7.2 billion, welfare and entertainment at 4.7 billion, and miscellaneous at 78 billion) among others.