The Speaker of Parliament, Anitah Annet Among, and the Members of Parliament are bitter over severe cuts in the budget proposals of Parliament for the 2023/24 financial year.  

Now the Speaker has demanded an explanation from Matia Kasaija, the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development. Some MPs claim that the budgetary cuts are deliberate and are part of a wider scheme by the Executive, through the finance ministry, to usurp the powers of Parliament.

Shortly after Speaker Anita Annet Among officially opened the proceedings of the Parliament plenary, the leader of the opposition Mathias Mpuuga took to the microphone, raising concern that Parliament was being undermined by the Executive. He cited what he called severe cuts in the budgetary estimates of Parliament for the 2023/24 financial year, noting that such cuts will negatively impact the operations of parliament. Speaker Anita Among reechoed Mpuuga’s concerns.

Several MPs also raised similar concerns and accused the Executive of trying to seize the powers of Parliament through the Ministry of Finance.

Bugiri Municipality MP Asuman Basalirwa claimed that Parliament had made several appropriations, only for the Executive to call the finance ministry and directed the officials to act otherwise.

However, the minister of finance Matia Kasaija refuted the claims by legislators. Kasaijja explained that it’s the responsibility of the three arms of government – Parliament, the Executive, and the Judiciary – to plan how to share national resources.
The Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, tasked the fiancé minister to comprehensively explain the cuts in the proposed budget of the Parliamentary Commission that manages the Legislature.

This is not the first time Parliament accuses the Executive of undermining its role. However, some critics say Parliament, through its conduct, has exposed itself to play second fiddle to the Executive yet it’s an independent arm of the Government.

Ramson