Munyonyo, Kampala | August 6, 2025 — In a high-level meeting convened today at Speke Resort Munyonyo, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (@mofpedU) engaged all Accounting Officers from Central Government Ministries, Local Governments, Missions Abroad, Regional Referral Hospitals, and Public Universities to ensure the effective execution of the budget for the Financial Year 2025/26.
The meeting was chaired by the Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, Lucy Nakyobe, who emphasized the need for heightened accountability, transparency, efficiency, discipline, and integrity in the execution of public duties.
“You must uphold the highest standards of service delivery, ensuring equity and timeliness,” Nakyobe said. “Accounting Officers should lead the fight against corruption within their institutions and refrain from making financial commitments without adequate resources.”
She warned against the accumulation of domestic arrears and stressed the need to operate strictly within approved cash limits. Additionally, she directed Accounting Officers to accelerate project implementation, streamline procurement processes, and publicly share clear service delivery standards.
The Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi (@rggoobi), highlighted the budget process as a major loophole for corruption, pointing to the involvement of Human Resource Officers, Procurement Officers, and Accountants in what he termed as “budget games.”
Ggoobi cited “Padding Play”—a practice where Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) deliberately inflate their funding requests beyond actual needs—as one of the manipulative tactics used during budget planning. He also identified the “Crisis Card” strategy, where MDAs exaggerate consequences to pressure for funding approvals.
In response, he announced that @mofpedU’s Budget Analysts have been tasked to deepen budget analysis and stamp out such unethical practices to ensure greater fiscal discipline.
Representatives from Local Governments raised concerns regarding poor coordination with Central Government ministries, and requested increased wage provisions to facilitate recruitment of additional staff, especially in key service delivery areas.
The meeting underscored the government’s resolve to enhance budget discipline, curb financial malpractice, and ensure that public resources are used effectively to deliver tangible services to Ugandans.
