President Museveni has expressed great concern towards the 64 per cent of the population that contributes ‘nothing’ to the National Budget yet they consume a lot.
Museveni, who was giving his remarks after the 2091/20 National Budget reading on Thursday at Kampala Serena Conference Centre said the biggest per cent of the population is not working but good at consuming.
“Yes we have heard the honourable minister reading the Budget. But he is reading to us a budget for which only 36 per cent homesteads contributed to. So where are the other 64?” he asked.
While presenting the Budget, Minister of Finance Matia Kasaija said the only 36 per cent of the population has been able to support the country.
The minister said “Uganda still faces major development challenges which include the following:- 68.9 per cent of Ugandan Households remain engaged in the
subsistence economy and Income Inequality,” said
However, Museveni said that leaders must get to the ground and sensitize their people.
“Leaders must encourage local people to work and to embrace the new technology and learn modern farming. The main challenge is to wake them up from tradition and help them to see the importance of modernization as we keep the positive elements of tradition,” he added.
The President said that Ugandans need to have a leader who will serve them.
“The people outside the money economy need sensitisation. My appeal to all the leaders – political, religious is to work to modernise the family. Convince them to join the money economy.” said Museveni.
He added that once households have transformed the per cent contributing to the budget will increase and the country will be empowered.
“You should stop inciting people asked them to work, in rural areas people don’t work. Any leader leading the starving population is a bad example of a leader,” said Museveni
Meanwhile, of the Shs40trillion of the current budget 2019/20, only Shs16.4 trillion will be domestically financed where Shs15,938.8bn will come from Uganda Revenue Authority as tax revenue while Shs420bn will come from Non-Tax Revenue.
Here is a breakdown of the budget allocation:
Debt repayment Shs10.6t
Works and Transport Shs6.8t
Defence and Security Shs 3.6t
Education Shs3.4t
Energy Shs2.9t
Local Governments 2.8t
Health 2.6t
Accountability 1.9t
Justice, Law and Order Sector 1.6t
Agriculture 1.05t
Water and Environment 1.3t
Public Administration 908bn
Public Sector Management 789bn
Parliament 688bn
Social Development 218bn
Lands, Housing and Urban Development 193bn
Tourism 193.7bn
Trade and Industry 171bn
Science and Technology 159bn
ICT 146.2 bn
Total: 40t
