The Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa, has tasked the Attorney General and Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development to expedite modification of the Public Finance Management Act, 2015 (PFMA), to help programme-based budgeting.
While addressing the House on Thursday, 30 January 2025, whereas contemplating the 2025/2026 price range framework paper, the Deputy Speaker cited have to restructure Section 13(4) of the PFMA earlier than the following price range (2026/2027).
Section 13(4) of the PFMA reads that: “The Speaker shall commit the proposed annual price range to the Budget Committee of Parliament and to every sectoral committee of Parliament the a part of the annual price range that falls inside the jurisdiction of that sectoral committee.”
“The Attorney General made a dedication to us right here. We wish to realign our committees with the budgeting course of, as a result of I one time discovered KCCA was showing in 4 committee conferences directly. This is as a result of now we have did not align our committees with the programme-based budgeting,” Tayebwa mentioned.
He alluded to a report tabled by the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline which proposed the modification of the PFMA, which he mentioned shall help the modification of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament.
“When amending the part, we will additionally have to amend the definitions of sector, of price range, and all that. So that we come again to our guidelines and make programme committees. This will eradicate the sectoral committees the place MDAs are scattered throughout,” Tayebwa mentioned.
“I would like, earlier than anything, the Attorney General to commit us that the price range for subsequent 12 months (2026/2027) will handle this, as a result of the approaching price range is already learn. These are direct amendments with no monetary implication, they solely want realignment,” he added.
The Attorney General, Hon. Kiryowa Kiwanuka, dedicated to arrange a draft proposal to amend the Public Finance Management Act, 2015, inside one month.
“What we are able to do, Mr Speaker, is to draft the Bill and ahead it to the Ministry of Finance and say, that is our proposal of the Bill, then they will proceed with it” Kiwanuka mentioned.
During a plenary sitting on 05 March 2024, the House adopted a report of the Committee on Rules, Privileges and Discipline on the proposed alignment of the Rules of Procedure of Parliament with the Programme-Based Budgeting Framework of presidency.
In the sitting, the State Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development (General Duties), Hon. Henry Musasizi, mentioned discussions concerning modification of the PFMA to present authorized impact to the Programme- Based Budgeting Framework had been underway on the time.
Tayebwa instructed the minister to usually replace the House on the progress of the consultations, urging that the proposed amendments to the PFMA ought to be submitted to the House inside one 12 months.
