The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister for Works and Transport, Eng. Monica Azuba has been accused for tabling the Traffic and Road Safety Bill, 2019 with the wrong certificate of financial implications.
Azuba tabled the Bill in July for its first reading and the committee on Physical Infrastructure has been scrutinizing it.
However, during the processing of the Bill, the committee noted that the certificate of financial implications was wrong.
MPs note that Azuba tabled the Traffic and Road Safety (Amendment) Bill, 2019 Traffic and Road Safety Bill, 2019 on 17th July this year and attached the Certificate of Financial Implications for the Traffic and Road Safety Act, 1998 (Amendment) Bill, 2018.
The certificate was issued by the Minister for Finance, Matia Kasaija on 4th May 2018.
The Public Finance and Management Act, 2015 provides that the every bill presented to parliament, both by government and private members of parliament must be accompanied by a certificate of financial implications issued by the finance ministry.
It indicates the impact of the Bill on the economy and also government commitment that once the bill is enacted into law, it will be implemented.
Kasaija said that the 2018 bill has net positive implications on the resource framework because implementing proposed amendments to the Traffic and Road Safety Act,1998 will generate surplus revenues of shillings 148.45 billion from levies on issuance of licenses for public service vehicles and driver permits.
The Bill seeks to provide for licensing of driving schools and instructors, provide for a driver’s license validity period of five years.
The changes are expected to result in improving the regulation of motor vehicles; passenger and cargo transport services, improve the rating of Uganda’s road transport which translate into reduced fatalities and accidents such as road crashes and better vehicle and road asset management among others.
The Permanent Secretary for Ministry of Works, Waiswa Bageya says that the wrong certificate of financial implications was attached to the Bill presented to Parliament.
He says his ministry made the mistake to attach the wrong certificate to the Bill. On July 10, 2019, Bageya wrote to the Clerk to Parliament, forwarded the Bill with the certificate of financial implications and also requested that the Bill is scheduled for its first reading.
However, Bageya says that he attached the wrong certificate and has since written to the finance ministry to issue a fresh certificate, the right one for the Bill. He says there is only need to change the year of the Bill but the object and its impact on the economy are the same as those cited in the wrong certificate.
However, Isingiro South County MP,Alex Bakunda Byarugaba says technocrats at the works ministry should have rectified the mistake before the Bill was presented to Parliament.
Opposition Chief Whip, Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda says that the 1995 Constitution, Public Finance and Management Act, 2015 and Parliament’s rules of procedure provide every Bill introduced in Parliament must be accompanied by its specific Certificate of financial implications.
Koboko County Mp, James Baba, a member of the physical infrastructure committee has however downplayed Ssemujju’s concerns that the committee should stop processing the Bill because Azuba presented a wrong certificate of financial implications.
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