The original budget for the State House in Uganda in the budget year of 2017/2018 was the stunning Shs. 245.567 billion shillings. That should have been more than sufficient, even should cover for more than utilities and all the Presidential Advisors hired by the President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni. Still, this week, they needed to add the bill and use more monies in the State House. The 245 billion shillings was not enough for one-year, they need more!
So in Parliament yesterday:
“Parliament’s budget committee has raised concern over the Shs 23.1 billion supplementary budget request from State House – less than two months to the end of 2016/2017” (Radiocity 97FM, 18.05.2017). That means that the State House plans to use Shs. 268,667 billion shillings. This now is for other than usual staff and for the bloated arrogance of a state organization like the Entebbe State House. Certainly, Presidential Spokesperson Don Wanyama and Director of Uganda Media Centre Ofwono Opondo will defend this. Since they are eating their envelopes from these budget posts.
However, the use of the supplementary budget should get under question, as the levels of futile spending should be under the loop and not just accepted. Just as the NBS Television reported: “State House asks for supplementary budget of UGX23bn; UGX365m for water bills i.e. at least UGX1m is spent on water bills day” (NBS Television, 17.05.2017).
That a county and a republic where most struggle to feed themselves, the President and his court has the audacity to spend Shs. 1 million a day! The ordinary Ugandans cannot nearly afford sugar that has hit the skyrocketed prices of Shs. 7,500 shillings; t. As their misuse of funds goes into the insane.
That the 30 years of ruling and the National Resistance Movement (NRM), proves that the old man with the hat, is too used to sponge of the state reserves and use it as his own pocket. The clear evident is in the budget and supplementary budget for the State House. Which entails all sort of ministerial works, which is ironic, in the sense that bloated cabinet should have ministries and agencies to fix the other outlaying issues and government work. Instead, it all is spend to through the roof of Entebbe State and the Okello House.
It surely must be genuine and special water in the faucets of the State House. Since the prices and the budget proves the massive spending on it. It must be the clearest and most luxurious water installation in the whole republic. Surely, the water is not bleak; it is like party coming into the taps. It must be so clean, that the WASH agents in other parts of Uganda, so they could wish they had it for the ones in need.
President Museveni, hope you enjoy your expensive water and do not buy any brew. Since the shs. 1 million water per day must really be the best! The smartest would be to tap, bottled and sold nationwide as Okello House water; therefore, you could spread the news about the fantastic State House water. This is why it cost so much. That is just one part of the puzzle, which is the meagre Shs. 365 million, the rest is Shs. 268 billion shillings. This is spend on all the other parts of the State House! That shows the disregard for state institutions, as one of the key beneficiary budget posts, are the State House, where the services comes directly from. Peace.