Uganda Police Sound Alarm Over Proposed Budget Cuts, Warning of Impact on Operations and Reform
The Uganda Police Force has voiced strong concerns over proposed significant reductions in its budget for the coming financial year, warning that cuts to essential non-wage expenditures will cripple day-to-day operations and undermine ambitious plans to professionalise the service.
According to documents before Parliament, the police’s non-wage recurrent budget is slated to be slashed by a substantial UGX 43 Billion. This reduction targets critical operational areas including feeding for officers on duty, fuel, maintenance of transport equipment and CCTV systems, and most notably, uniforms and staff training.
The figures reveal stark cuts: the budget for police uniforms is set to drop from UGX 23 Billion allocated in the 2025/26 financial year to UGX 15.4 Billion. Meanwhile, the allocation for staff training—a key component for capacity building—faces a dramatic reduction from UGX 41 Billion to UGX 23.4 Billion.
Raising the issue before Parliament, Gen. David Muhoozi, the Minister of State for Internal Affairs, stated that the cuts would affect the most basic provisions for officers.
“The reduction will affect basics like the boots, clothes [and] headgear,” Gen. Muhoozi cautioned.
He highlighted the particular irony of the timing, as the cuts come when the Force is pursuing a professionalisation drive that includes procuring identification items like name badges and body-worn cameras.
The Minister passionately defended the need for such tools, linking them to accountability and the public’s perception of the police.
“We have been grappling with the idea of identity. Identity of arresting officers. Even in the West, if somebody is in civilian clothes, he just pulls out a badge,” Muhoozi explained.
He placed special emphasis on body cameras, arguing they are vital for transparency. “But the cameras, because usually we are framed, but we don’t tell our story because nobody captured the interaction between the police and the public in enforcing the law.”
The proposed budget reductions present a clear dilemma for the police leadership. On one hand, there is political and public pressure to transform the Force into a more modern, accountable, and professional institution—a goal that requires investment in training, technology, and standardised attire. On the other hand, the slashed allocations threaten to degrade the very foundation of operational effectiveness, from keeping vehicles running to ensuring officers are properly equipped and trained.
Parliament will now scrutinise the budget proposals as concerns mount that underfunding key police components could have wider implications for law, order, and public trust.
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