REVEALED: Shockingly Huge Amounts of Money Government Spends on Agencies’ Salaries, Allowances, Travel, Workshops, Entertainment

As President Yoweri Museveni and his government’s officials continue to justify their move to disband agencies like the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) and the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA), the head of state has let Ugandans in on the shockingly huge amounts of money government spends on agencies salaries, travel, entertainment and other functions.

Museveni used the 2016-2017 budget figures to demonstrate to Ugandans how much money government has been spending on ministries, departments and agencies.

In that financial year, government spent Shs 1,989.560 billion on salaries: Shs 755.002 billion on staff in ministries, Shs 955.190 billion on agencies and Shs 196.039 billion on parastatals.

For allowances, government spent Shs 758.360 billion: Shs 329.593 billion on staff in ministries, Shs 360.889 billion on employees in agencies and Shs 24.295 billion on staff in parastatals.

For travel, government spent Shs 352.742 billion: Shs 210.627 billion for ministries, Shs 96.067 billion for agencies, and Shs 16.491 for parastatals.

In the same 2016-2017 financial year, government spent Shs 380.729 billion on consultancy: Shs 297.360 on ministries, Shs 75.236 billion on agencies, and Shs 20.050 billion on parastatals.

Shs 190.578 billion was spent on welfare and entertainment: Shs 80.239 billion for ministries, Shs 96.82 billion for agencies, and Shs 9.234 billion for parastatals.

For workshops and seminars, government spent Shs 104.316 billion: Shs 63.169 billion for ministries, Shs 36.696 billion for agencies, and Shs 7.776 billion for parastatals.

Shs 150.962 billion was spent on fuel and lubricants: Shs 73.639 billion for ministries, Shs 63.596 billion for agencies, and Shs 26.176 billion for parastatals.

Advertising and Public Relations for ministries, agencies and parastatals cost government Shs 45.939 billion; Medical and Agricultural Supplies Shs 763.709 billion; Training Shs 196.521 billion; Agricultural supplies Shs 413.888 billion;  and vehicle maintenance Shs 99.211 billion.

Ministries, agencies and parastatals spent Shs 69.562 billion on machinery, equipment and furniture; Shs 30.403 billion on maintenance (civil) and Shs 16.862 billion on other maintenance.

In total, government was spending Shs 2.2 trillion per year on agencies “that were not money making but money consuming.”

You can read Museveni’s five reasons why agencies like UNRA and UCDA are parasites and why they should be disbanded Here and There

Meanwhile, amidst coffee wars, including between Buganda and Speaker Anita Among,  a fearless Balokole Pastor has ‘cursed’ Museveni government officials he says are plotting to steal from Ugandan coffee farmers by pushing the coffee bill, as reported Here and There.