The ministry of Foreign Affairs has accumulated up to Shs 37.06 billion in non-payment of legal contributions and membership subscriptions to different international organizations, parliament’s foreign affairs committee has learnt.
Committee chairperson, Norah Bigirwa-Nyendwoha revealed that in the current FY 2022/2023, ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development has provided only Shs 2.49 billion towards the country’s subscription payment, leaving a staggering balance of Shs 34.56 billion.
Bigirwa, also the Buliisa District Woman MP said on Monday that continuous failure by the government to meet such statutory obligations taints its diplomatic image and strains international relations.
“First of all, the sector faces the challenge of being categorised as consumptive rather productive, and yet from an objective analysis we have gained huge trade volumes accrued to this country as a result of the tireless efforts of the missions abroad. It is very embarrassing diplomatically if as a nation, you are chased away from meetings and not even allowed to vote as a result of us not being able to pay,” she said.
Buyaga East County MP, Eric Musana, noted that there are several international treaties and protocols that Uganda signed such as the East African Community (EAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), and the African Union among others, which are bound by statutory obligations failure which puts the country at stake.
“There are statutory obligations that Uganda must meet. Our contributions and our payments are at stake. If we do not meet these payments, Uganda will not be seen as a serious country. And we’re talking about building the image of Uganda. Remember these are under treaties, they are under protocols that we must honour,” said Musana.
John Mulimba, minister of State for Foreign Affairs (regional affairs) attributed the non-payment to unreleased funds. Mulimba appealed to the budget committee to follow the strict implementation of the Appropriation Act, 2021 to ensure all funds appropriated to the ministry are allocated in a timely manner by the Finance ministry.
In May 2021, Mull Sebujja Katende, the former ambassador of Uganda to Ethiopia was elected chairperson of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, the standing organ of the 55-member continental body charged with the prevention and resolution of conflicts.
To facilitate his activities, President Museveni directed the ministry of Finance to release Shs 1 billion but according to the committee, the money has never been released to date. Uganda is also grappling to honour its financial obligations to the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI), an intergovernmental partnership of 10 Nile Basin countries, namely Burundi, DR Congo, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, and Tanzania.
Equally affected is the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an eight-country trade bloc in Africa. It includes governments from the Horn of Africa, the Nile Valley, and the African Great Lakes. In the FY 2023/2024, ministry of Foreign Affairs is supposed to pay annual subscriptions to international organizations amounting to Shs 32.36 billion but the ministry of Finance only allocated Shs 6.36 billion, creating a funding gap of Shs 26 billion.
The committee is also concerned that despite several recommendations to the Finance ministry for an upward revision of the current position of government with respect to meeting her financial obligations to international bodies, the advice has fallen on deaf ears.
The Observer
