Government Ministries Budgets Thin Out

Government ministries are broke, Uganda Radio Network has learnt.
The ministries budgets have over the last two weeks been thinning down, after the Ministry of Finance failed to release money for their operations.

With the Ministry Budgets thinning out, meeting crucial financial obligations is becoming a challenge. Some ministries are finding it hard to pay their water bills, buy stationery and other sundries that are vital for their day to day running.

A visit to Ministry will prove there is no money as usual Ministry corridors are largely deserted and a number of accounting officers can rarely be found in their offices.

At the Ministry of Lands, the Permanent Secretary has even threatened close the ministry.

But Elly Kamuhunje the spokesperson, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had received little release. He said the Ministry was well stocked with ink, paper and salaries of cleaners can be paid. "The moment you have that you can remain in operation", he said.

 The Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury sent out a circular to government ministries warning them that there would be no release for the last Quarter that ends in June.

According to the circular, the Permanent Secretary said the money had been spent on buying vehicles for Members of Parliament and the Inter Parliamentary Union conference that ended in Kampala early this month.

Dr. Stephen Kagoda, however  down played the issue saying there was no way government would not release money to run the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

"We have criminals held up in Luzira prison how can you say they will go without food; do you want us to release them back unto Kampala streets"? he wondered.

Kagoda explained that government spends money mainly on  Security, infrastructure development, macro-economic management and judiciary, for which money must always be made available.

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