Members of Parliament on the Public Accounts Committee-PAC Central Government are calling for the sanctioning of the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Ramathan Ggoobi for allowing the Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) to use shillings 11.63 billion to pay bonuses to its staff having met the revenue collection target for the financial year 2021/2022. 

In their report based on the findings of the Auditor General for the period ending June 2023, the MPs note that this appropriation was illegal because it was never sanctioned by parliament as required by the Public Finance Management Act. 

The committee report reads “The policy and procedures for the payment of bonuses to URA Staff says that the staff shall be entitled to a bonus only when URA exceeds the government’s set revenue target for a specific financial year”.

It adds, “This payment, however, was made without the necessary parliamentary approval for supplementary funding as required under Section 25 of the Public Finance and Management Act. Although the Minister of Finance Planning and Economic Development permitted the accounting officer to retain 14.676 billion, subject to subsequent parliamentary approval, there was no evidence that the parliamentary approval was granted, making this bonus payment irregular.

It adds that when PAC interfaced with the Accounting Officer, he admitted that this was an anomaly explaining that the schedule for this bonus payment was not included in the supplementary request to parliament. 

The Committee notes the sheer disregard and disdain of Parliamentary processes by the executive through acts that border usurping of its mandate.

This has been on the increase lately, especially by the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development and it is the opinion of this committee that this amounts to contempt of parliament as defined under Rule 224 of our Rules of Procedure,” the report reads. 

The MPs therefore want Ggoobi, who is also the Secretary to the Treasury to be sanctioned by parliament to deter him from further acting in contempt. 

END