The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has released UGX 17.444 trillion for the fourth quarter of the 2025/26 financial year budget. Speaking at the release event on Thursday, Ramathan Ggoobi, the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance, stated that out of the released amount, UGX 454.2 billion has been allocated to cater for the payment of domestic arrears approved by the Auditor General.
Ggoobi noted that this brings the total amount released for domestic arrears in this financial year to UGX 973.1 billion so far. According to him, the Auditor General’s verification of domestic arrears helped the country save over one trillion shillings that would have otherwise been paid out.
He pledged to provide the exact figures of domestic arrears at an appropriate time. However, he warned accounting officers to desist from accumulating new arrears. He noted that, going forward, each accounting officer will be required to sign a budget discipline and accountability charter comprising six rules, one of which is the non-accumulation of debt.
Ggoobi also noted that UGX 314.9 billion has been released for agro-industrial research and innovation, especially to fast-track the rollout of the anti-tick vaccine, operations, and other critical program interventions. Additionally, UGX 48.6 billion has been released for tourism development and promotion interventions, including the development of the Uganda Martyrs Shrine at Namugongo and the “Explore Uganda” campaign.
He further stated that UGX 24.3 billion has been allocated to the Petroleum Authority of Uganda to continue implementing interventions aimed at fast-tracking first oil. Meanwhile, UGX 184.5 billion has been allocated for science, technology, and innovation, including ICT and the creative industry.
In preparing the fourth quarter budget for the 2025/26 financial year, Ggoobi said emphasis was placed on maintaining total expenditure within available resources and achieving high economic growth by sustaining financing for wealth creation and other critical priority actions under Agro-industrialization, Tourism Development, Mineral-based Industrialization, and Science, Technology, and Innovation (ATMS).
He added that the government will also ensure the provision of minimum required operational expenditure for all ministries, departments, agencies, and local governments. Ggoobi further noted that despite global and regional geopolitical tensions, the country’s economic performance remains resilient, with a positive outlook. Economic growth is expected to accelerate to between 6.6% and 7.0% this year and reach double digits with the commencement of first oil production.
He attributed this positive outlook to drivers such as the Parish Development Model, infrastructure investment, political stability, and export growth, among others. Ggoobi emphasized that the government will continue safeguarding macroeconomic stability by aligning expenditure with available financing.
Julius Mukunda from CSBAG raised concerns about budget inefficiency, noting that commercial courts and the Tax Tribunal have a case backlog worth UGX 14 trillion due to severe understaffing. Mukunda stated that only 38% of positions in the judiciary are filled, and the Commercial Court alone has 5,790 pending cases.
He urged the Ministry of Finance to fully fund the judiciary to unlock resources tied up in the economy. In response, Ggoobi said the ministry has been supporting the judiciary by allocating an additional UGX 50 billion to recruit more judges and strengthen capacity so that disputes can be resolved more quickly.