Finance ministry briefs MPs on budget process

Officials from the Ministry of Finance on Tuesday briefed the new legislators on the process of national budget planning, preparation, implementation, and audit so that the House can ably fulfill its mission of helping government achieve its development targets. The team was led by the Permanent Secretary, Pichette Kampeta Sayinzoga. The Tuesday session was moderated by MP Constance Mukayuhi Rwaka, the Chairperson of the standing committee on Budget and National Patrimony, who told The New Times that despite the indisputable progress, capacity challenges still remain prevalent among lawmakers. “The capacity challenge comes in terms of the various new concepts or reforms that must be properly understood. Issues like gender budgeting, programming and budgeting that contributes to the advancement of gender equality and the fulfillment of women’s rights,” Mukayuhi said, adding that other issues like the operations of Capital Markets have not been grasped by lawmakers. Kampeta promised lawmakers that the ministry will arrange further training sessions on gender budgeting as well as capital markets. Responding to MPs’ questions, Kampeta also acknowledged that despite the general progress made in public finance management, planning remains a key challenge especially in streamlining the government’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF). “Concern number one is planning. Most often, the accounting officers and the chief budget managers, prepare their budget based on what they remember other than basing on the three-year plan of the MTEF. The recently sworn-in 80-member third legislature has 30 new MPs.