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Police budget cut by shs1.57 trillion
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Inspector General of Police, Abas Byakagaba’s ambitious budget of more than 2.5 trillion shillings has been reduced to only 925.12 billion shillings.
Byakagaba, who replaced Martin Okoth Ochola in May 2024, tabled a 2.5 trillion shillings budget before the Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and lobbied her to support and rally the legislators to allocate at least a trillion shillings to the force.
The IGP explained that they needed money to cater for the implementation of the Sub-county-based policing model directed by President Yoweri Museveni, recruit new police officers for the same model, but also for the 2026 general elections.
Also, Byakagaba indicated that the 2.5 trillion shillings would enable the construction of housing units at Naguru police barracks, Nsambya police barracks, at the regional, division and districts levels where the personnel who will serve at sub-counties would be residing.
However, many cast doubt on whether the budget could be passed or approved by Parliament. In the Thursday budget reading, the 2.5 trillion shillings budget was cut by more than 1.57 trillion shillings.
Out of 925 billion shillings allocated to the entire police force, 495.5 billion shillings will go to wages of over 50,000 police officers, including the 10,000 recruits. This means over 50% of the budget will go to settling wages for the next 12 months.
At least 266.4 billion shillings will cater for non-wage recurrent expenditures such as allowances, fuel, stationery, procurement of operational vehicles and motorcycles. The rest of the money will go to development projects such as the construction of police housing units.
IGP launched the construction of 1,200 houses at Naguru police barracks two months ago, and there is also ongoing construction of a multibillion-dollar police headquarters structure, which will house all the major directorates.
It should be remembered that the construction of 360 housing units launched in 2016 by then IGP Gen Edward Kale Kayihura was completed barely three years ago. The 360 apartments were supposed to be completed by 2018, but the paltry budget dragged the completion for six years. It is not clear how long the construction of 1,200 apartments will take since the funds seem to be slim.
At the time Ochola retired, police was in a financial crisis and some directorates were being given as low as 10 million shillings for quarter operations. Five months ago, another fuel crisis was reported in the police force as many Regional, District and Divisional Police Commanders could hardly field their vehicles for field operations.
Much as police downplayed the media reports, it took the intervention of the finance ministry for the fuel providers to resume giving the force fuel for the vehicles. The same scenarios is likely to resurface especially with the lections period.
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