In a high-level meeting convened today at Speke Resort Munyonyo, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (@mofpedU) brought together Accounting Officers from Central Government Ministries, Local Governments, Missions Abroad, Regional Referral Hospitals, and Public Universities to strategise on the effective execution of the FY 2025/26 budget.
The meeting was chaired by the Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, Ms. Lucy Nakyobe, who emphasized the importance of accountability, transparency, efficiency, and integrity in public financial management. She reminded the Accounting Officers of their critical role in ensuring equitable and timely service delivery across all sectors.
“You should guard against committing Government without adequate resources. Accounting Officers must ensure zero tolerance to creation of domestic arrears and avoid committing beyond approved cash limits,” said Ms. Nakyobe.
She further called on Accounting Officers to fast-track project implementation, streamline procurement, and develop and publish service delivery standards to improve public trust and service outcomes. She also reiterated the need to take a firm stance against corruption, noting that leaders in the civil service must lead by example.
Delivering remarks on the technical side, the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Dr. Ramathan Ggoobi, decried what he termed as “budget games” — manipulative practices during the budgeting process that contribute to inefficiencies and corruption.
“The budget process has increasingly become a corridor for corruption. We’ve seen tactics like ‘Padding Play’ where MDAs ask for more than they actually require, and the use of the ‘crisis card’ to pressure approvals by citing possible public fallout,” Ggoobi said.
To counter this, he revealed that MoFPED’s Budget Analysts have been directed to deepen scrutiny of budget submissions and eliminate any such manipulations moving forward.
Local Government representatives raised concerns around coordination gaps with central ministriesand called for additional wage provisions to allow recruitment of essential staff, citing understaffing as a major constraint in delivering services at the grassroots.
As the country embarks on the execution of the FY 2025/26 budget, the meeting reaffirmed the Government’s resolve to uphold fiscal discipline, fight corruption, and ensure public funds deliver measurable results for all citizens.
