LOP Lambasts Govt for Dubious, Wasteful Spending

The Leader of Opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi has decried the reckless spending by Government on wasteful projects like Lubowa Hospital, saying it is no wonder, 30% of the taxes collected by Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) is spent on repayment of debts.

He made the remarks during the presentation of the Alternative Budget areas for 2025/26, where he said that the sinking of public funds in some dubious projects has sunk the country into debts, while denying Ugandans their deserved services.

“The Government’s reckless spending on fraudulent projects while neglecting essential services is a betrayal of the social contract they have with the people of Uganda. Let us consider the Lobowa Specialised Hospital Project. This is a project which is a clear example of organised corruption in my very considered opinion. The government has spent billions of taxpayers’ money on this project, yet at the same time, public hospitals across the country lack funding and cannot even provide basic care,” remarked Ssenyonyi.

He added, “Because of this, many Ugandans are forced to either seek treatment overseas or to suffer in poorly equipped health facilities across the country. These projects have become channels for syphoning public funds, further entrenching a kleptocratic system that prioritises elite interests over national development.”

Ssenyonyi noted that the Alternative Budget Priority areas being proposed are grounded in the principles of equity, fiscal responsibility. We are committed to realigning Uganda’s financial priorities to serve the people of Uganda.

The Leader of Opposition remarked, “Persistent fiscal indiscipline, excessive borrowing and corruption have put immense pressure on our economy. The high cost of debt servicing, which consumes over 30% of our budget, has left little room for investment in critical sectors. Our people deserve a budget that works for them, not one that burdens them with unnecessary taxes and then poor service delivery. It’s one thing for you to tax the population, it’s another for that tax money to be of value to the people of Uganda.”

Ssenyonyi also decried the suboptimal revenue collections, which he attributed to inefficiencies in tax administration, revenue leakages and inadequate enforcement of tax policies, and he went on to cite the failure by Government to collect taxes from gold miners and exporters, despite the existence of the law to guide this revenue collection exercise.

He explained, “People who mine gold and they are raking in billions upon billions of shillings, they’re not paying taxes. And we are wondering why. Why do these people not pay taxes? The answer is because these are the powerful people in this country who are operating in this trade. They’ll exempt themselves while everybody else does pay tax. This has got to change. There’s got to be equity.”

The Leader of Opposition also reemphasized the need to fight corruption as the key theme for the Alternative Budget, calling for the need to combat corruption by fully implementing anti-graft measures and holding accountable those responsible for financial mismanagement.

“I believe that with all of my heart. For us to have effective service delivery in this country, one of the things we need to tackle is corruption. We lose over Shs10Trn per year to corruption. That’s about a third of what URA collects and many times they don’t even hit their targets. Just think about how many hospitals that money can build. How many roads across the country that Shs10Trn can fix and build. Combating corruption is sure way to effective service delivery. That’s the only way because even that money which is available for service delivery is stolen,” Ssenyonyi remarked.

He also called on all MPs and Ugandans to interest themselves in reading and critiquing the proposals fronted by the Opposition in the various alternative ministerial policy statements so as to create room for improvement.

Ssenyonyi said, “This has been a consultative process to see to it that we get the views of different political parties, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders, so that it’s not just our budget, but it is reflective of the people of Uganda. I want to encourage us to find time and read those books and even critique them. It’s important that we keep getting feedback. Yes, we did consult, but it’s important that as we keep going, you look at what is it that we are proposing.”

“Many times, you hear people say the opposition just opposes. No, that’s not the kind of opposition we want to be. We want to be a government in waiting, a proper government in waiting that offers credible alternatives. So, I would like to encourage us, please read. So for those that keep saying we just oppose, find time and read. And I know those people are not in this room. They’re out there.”