Ugandan MPs here on gender budgeting study tour

A 10-member delegation of Ugandan MPs, led by the Minister of State for Finance planning and Economic Development, Fred Jachan Omach, is in the country to learn about the government’s gender and equity budgeting. Speaking to The New Times, shortly after a meeting with officials at the Ministry of Health yesterday, Omach said that the way Rwanda uses its funds was commendable. “Basing on my observation from this study tour, I believe the government of Rwanda has been able to achieve tremendous development because funds are utilised properly,” he said. “The money goes down to the very people it its intended for, which has enabled people’s lives to be transformed just 17 years after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi”. Omach noted that the level of patriotism and commitment was high in both the upper and lower chamber of deputies, which his country hopes to emulate. He added that other programmes they would borrow a leaf from Rwanda include monitoring and evaluation strategies and measures to deal with corruption. “Rwanda is doing very well in various areas and we encourage it to continue,” the minister said. He noted that the HIV/ Aids prevalence rate in Rwanda was 2.3 percent which is far below the current 6.4 percent rate in Uganda. “One of the key elements for achieving sustainable development in any country is total discipline because if you have discipline, everything can be done effectively and efficiently. I think this is one of the factors which has enabled Rwanda to progress in various developmental areas,” Omach observed. In an interview with The New Times, MP Connie Bwiza Sekamana, who is also a member of the budget committee in the Rwandan parliament, said the visit by their Ugandan counterparts was beneficial as it reflects a clearer picture on the government’s performance in relation to other EAC countries. The delegation arrived in the country on Sunday and is scheduled to return today. steven.mugisha@newtimes.co.rw

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Ugandan MPs here on gender budgeting study tour