Oboth-Oboth Cuts Speaker’s Donations Budget From Shs24bn to Shs3.9bn

Speaker Jacob Oboth-Oboth has slashed the budget under the Office of the Speaker from more than Shs24 billion to Shs3.9 billion and redirected the balance to parliamentary committees, saying lawmakers must be adequately funded to prevent them from seeking favours from the government agencies they are supposed to oversee.

Speaking during celebrations marking Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja’s reappointment, Oboth-Oboth said Parliament was being returned to its original purpose after years in which committees struggled to access funding for oversight work.

“I’ve gotten back my office. It will have Shs3.9 billion from the Shs24 billion. When you come to me, I will tell you the money has gone to the committees,” Oboth-Oboth said.

“The Chief Donor of Government remains the President of Uganda. If you need help, go to State House. We are resetting Parliament back to the factory default — what Parliament was intended to be.”

The Speaker said every parliamentary committee will now be required to prepare a costed work plan and will receive funding to carry out investigations, field visits and oversight activities.

He argued that underfunding committees exposes legislators to corruption by forcing them to depend on ministries, departments and agencies that appear before them for scrutiny.

“We want to insulate Parliament from being vulnerable to ministries, departments and agencies,” he said.

“There is nothing more demeaning than asking for small money from those you are supposed to supervise. These agencies come before you having stolen money, then they give you one or two million shillings and you become compromised.”

In one of his strongest remarks, Oboth-Oboth said the decision to channel money directly to committees was intended to remove temptation from lawmakers.

“That is why I want money to be available in the committees so that you don’t get tempted. Whether you are a committee chairperson or not, the money will be there to facilitate your work.”

The Speaker also took aim at delays in the construction of Parliament’s new chamber, questioning how the project had dragged on for more than a decade despite annual budget allocations.

“How can you build that chamber from 2014 up to now? It is not that the money is not there. This year alone there is Shs22 billion. There is money lying in Parliament’s account in the Bank of Uganda,” he said.

“People want kickbacks.”

Oboth-Oboth, who previously served in the Defence Ministry, said he was not afraid of confronting entrenched interests.

“Me, the son of a peasant whom God has blessed to become Speaker, what else can you do to me? I have seen it all,” he said.

The remarks signal a significant departure from spending practices that emerged in recent years, where billions of shillings were allocated to donations under various parliamentary offices.

Parliamentary records show that dedicated donations budgets were not a feature of parliamentary spending before the tenure of former Speaker Anita Among.

Since the 2023/24 financial year, Parliament’s Communications and Public Affairs Department has spent more than Shs16.2 billion on donations alone.

The reallocation of more than Shs20 billion to committees is likely to be welcomed by MPs who have long complained about inadequate funding for oversight activities, while also reigniting debate about the role of donations in parliamentary expenditure.

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