MPs unearth “forgery” in Budget amendments

By Moses Kyeyune.

Lawmakers on the Budget Committee of Parliament have unearthed suspicious mismatches relating to amendments in the Budget for the next financial year.

The committee chairperson, Amos Lugoloobi (NRM, Ntenjeru North), drew the attention of his colleagues to discrepancies contained in a soft copy document presented to the committee which contrasted figures of the physical amendments tabled on the floor of Parliament on the previous day.

The lawmakers tasked David Bahati (minister of state for planning) who had led the team of Finance Officials to explain the discrepancies in vain.

On the hard copy document submitted to parliament on Tuesday, the ministry of Health Contained shillings 58 billion, and Ministry of Education shillings 203 billion while the ministry of Tourism had shillings 92 billion.

But in a soft copy presented by Mr Bahati yesterday, Health had been inflated with an extra shillings 23 billion to read shillings 81 billion while Education had been inflated with shs 97 billion to reflect sh 300 billion.

The lawmakers also realized that the allocation for Tourism had been adjusted to shillings 122 billion, implying that it had been inflated by shillings 30 billion.

The committee then questioned the intention of the minister, pointing at the fast approaching deadline of May 30 for which the Budget should be debated and passed.

Written by David Kugonza