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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Finance has tabled the third National Development Plan- NDPIII.
The five-year plan was supposed to be approved before the presentation of the National Budget Framework Paper for financial year 2020/2021.
David Bahati, the Minister of State for Planning in the Finance Ministry, tabled the plan on Wednesday amidst complaints from MPs that the ministry broke the law.
The Public Finance Management Act, 2015 provides that the annual national Budget framework paper-NBFP must align with the approved national development plan. The Framework must be presented to Parliament by 31st December.
Now, NDPII, which covers financial years 2015/2016 to 2019/2020, will expire in June 2020. Its implementation thereby ends with 2019/2020 national Budget.
The NDP III is thereby supposed to inform processing and approval of budgets of the next five years beginning with 2020/2021 financial year.
Therefore, Ministry of Finance and National Planning Authority were expected to prepare and present NDP III for presentation and approval, first in Cabinet and then Parliament to guide the processing of the NBFP for financial years from 2020/2021 to 2024/2025.
The plan will be processed by the Budget Committee in order to meet the deadline of 1st February when Parliament must approve the NBFP.
Budget committee chairperson, Amos Lugoloobi told the Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga that the committee will present a preliminary report on NDP III by Tuesday next week so that Parliament can approve it and thereafter assess NBFP’s alignment with the plan and then present a report on NBFP by end of the week. Parliament must approve NBFP by 1st February 2020, which falls on a Saturday.
However, Buliisa MP, Stephen Mukitale urged Kadaga to give room and organise a workshop for MPs to also scrutinise NDPIII. But Kadaga says that delays in submitting the NPDIII has made it difficult for sectoral committees to scrutinise prior to approving the draft budget.
NDPIII is the third in a series of six NDPs that will guide the nation in delivering the aspirations articulated in Uganda Vision 2040.
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