Budget shortfalls could derail National Development Plan IV (NDP IV) goals – Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) – Africa.com
The Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) has expressed concerns over the government’s ability to achieve the ambitious targets outlined in Uganda’s fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV).
CSBAG Executive Director Julius Mukunda attended the Budget Committee chaired by Hon. Patrick Isiagi said on Wednesday, January 8, 2025 that budget shortfalls, misaligned priorities and ineffective implementation will doom the program unless urgent reforms are adopted.
The committee is reviewing the proposals in the draft NDPIV.
Mukunda noted that the fourth NDP had outlined a development roadmap for Uganda over the next five years, but there was a worrying gap between the proposed budget and the resources needed to achieve the goals.
For the 2025/26 financial year, the government has allocated Sh57.4 trillion, down from the planned Sh67.8 trillion.
“The funding gap was so large at Sh10.4 trillion at the launch of NDP IV, which indicates a failure to deliver the expected results,” he said.
He criticized the underfunding of key programs such as Area-Based Reform Measures (ATM), which are crucial to driving economic growth in the fourth NDP.
“These ATMs were considered the magic growth pillar of the scheme but they were allocated only Sh2.7 trillion out of the Sh4.7 trillion required. The Sh2 trillion shortfall is unacceptable and will undermine The whole initiative,” Mukunda added.
Mukunda also highlighted the disparity in resource allocation, with some projects such as development plan implementation, sustainable urbanization and housing receiving more funding than estimated in the fourth budget of the National Development Plan.
“This is not a sign of additional investment, but reflects poor coordination and uncoordinated allocation of resources,” he added. “Without proper coordination, we run the risk of our efforts being fragmented and diverted from the core objectives of the development plan.”
Mukunda stressed that achieving the goals of the Fourth National Day celebrations requires greater coordination among government agencies to ensure that interventions are well planned and cost-effective.
“We need evidence-based costing that reflects the availability of resources and the potential outcomes of each programme. Only then can we ensure that every shilling spent directly contributes to Uganda’s transformation agenda,” he said.
He also called for stronger accountability mechanisms to oversee how resources are used.
“We must increase accountability at all levels, from national agencies to local government, to ensure funds are used as planned and waste and corruption are avoided,” Mukunda said.
Mukunda highlighted the country’s outdated legal framework which he said did not fully support the budgeting approach introduced during the Fourth National Day celebrations.
“The Public Finance Management Act 2015 and its accompanying regulations still reference departmental committees and departmental budget framework documents that are incompatible with the new approach,” he explained.
Mukunda urged Parliament to amend the law to formalize project-based budgeting and reorganize its committees to track the results of projects across multiple departments.
Dear. Faith Nakut (NRM, Napa Park District Women’s Representative) welcomed the CSBAG proposals, particularly the penalties for districts that do not comply with the NDP, and said it would make them take the goals seriously.
Amorata District Councilwoman the Honorable Agnes Apea said the NDP looks like a project development plan rather than a development plan.
“In terms of infrastructure development, for example northern Uganda might have a plan saying that for infrastructure and connectivity, we will have railways here, these roads will connect here…something like that, but the plan It’s carefully chosen,” she said.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of the Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.
