On Tuesday, 8th June, 2021 President Yoweri Museveni named his new cabinet bringing an end to the speculation that has been rife in the nation.
Despite the reshuffles in various key ministries like Energy, Foreign affairs, ICT, Energy, Justice and the office of Prime minister, officials from the ministry of finance have remained unchanged.
Matia Kasaija, the incumbent Minister for Finance, Planning and Economic Development has maintained his crucial position in the economy.
Kasaija was appointed in March 2015 following the replacement of Maria Kiwanuka as Senior Presidential Advisor. In this new tenure, Kasaija will be working hand in hand with Hon. Henry Musaazi, Anite Evelyn, Amos Lugoobi and Kyeyune Haruna to steer the economy in the executive arm of government.
This re-appointment comes at a sensitive time where the Ministry has been back and forth with arrangements for the Budget Speech scheduled for Thursday, 10th June, 2021. The Budget framework paper was approved and published in December 2020 and highlighted the budget strategy for 2020/21 as well as a detailed program and plan for expenditure.
The beginning of this month saw key stakeholders in various sectors of the economy wait in anticipation for the revelations of the Budget 2021 and the impact it will have on the economy especially during the scourge of the pandemic.
The Director of the Budget, Kenneth Mugambe, in an interview noted that the difference between a plan and a budget is that the budget is much more realistic because it is a one-year plan prepared in that space where there is much more predictability of what is going to happen.
He emphasized that Ministry of Finance, “does not work in isolation” but as part of the overall government. Therefore, stakeholders also look forward to how budget funds allocated to the various sectors will be utilized by the new Cabinet appointees.
The National Budget, 2021 is expected to paint a picture of how government revenue and funds are to be allocated to various sectors of the economy and more speculation stems from the fact that the state has been victim to COVID-19 repercussions on the economy.