By Spy Uganda
No nonsense Permanent Secretary and secretary to Treasury, Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Ramadhan Ggoobi has kicked out 110 Local Government Accounting Officers for failure to submit their budgets allocations in the prescribed time frame.
Ggoobi announced the stern action in his letter dated 7, July 2022. “Following approval of the Budget for FY2022/23 by Parliament, the Ministry uploaded the Approved Budget details on the Programme Budgeting System (PBS) to enable Accounting Officers submit their respective Approved Budget Estimates, Work plans, Procurement plans and Performance Contracts for FY 2022/23 but only 66 accounting officers complied with the Public Finance Management Act of 2015 to submit their annual budgets of 2022/23 within the required time frame,” he said partially in his letter.
You may remember that Ggoobi earlier this week warned these accounting officers that he was ready to cancel their appointments if they didn’t submit in time their approved budget estimates and corresponding reports.
”In accordance with Section 13 (5) of the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act 2015 as Amended, the Budget for FY 2022/23 commenced on 1, July 2022. Following approval of the Budget for FY2022/23 by Parliament, the Ministry uploaded the Approved Budget details on the Programme Budgeting System (PBS) to enable Accounting Officers submit their respective Approved Budget Estimates, Work plans, Procurement plans and Performance Contracts for FY 2022/23,” writes Ggoobi in a letter adding;
”To enable smooth implementation of the Budget for FY 2022/23, I appointed a number of Persons as Accounting Officers for respective Local Government Votes for FY 2022/23, as per my letters ref. BPD/77/222/02 dated 20th June, 2022, in accordance with Section 11 (2) (g) of the PFM Act 2015 (as amended). To date, however, while all Central Government Votes have submitted their Approved Budget Estimates, Work plans, Procurement plans and Performance Contracts for FY 2022/23 and these have already been uploaded on the Integrated Financial Management System (IFMS), only 66 Local Government Votes (see Annex 1) have acceptably submitted their respective Budget Details for FY 2022/23 on the Programme Based System (PBS) despite my various reminders. As such, this Ministry cannot issue Quarter One Expenditure Limits for FY2022/23, and this is delaying commencement of the Budget Execution and shall delay service delivery including payment of salaries.”
Now, due to the above, Ggoobi in his letter has informed the accounting officers who didn’t comply that they breached the statutory deadlines for effective commencement of the Budget for FY 2022/23 for Local Government Votes, thus cancellation of their appointments.
Without delay and wastage of more time, Ggoobi has requested the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Local Government to nominate new persons for Appointment to replace Accounting Officers for the respective Local Government Votes, that have failed to submit the said mandatory requirements in time.
”I request you to nominate new persons for Appointment as Local Government Accounting Officers for the respective Local Government Votes, that have failed to submit the said mandatory requirements for their Votes; as indicated in Annex 1. I would appreciate receiving fresh nominations by Monday 11th July, 2022 at the latest,” Ggoobi writes to Ministry Of Local Government Permanent Secretary.
