Ramathan Ggoobi, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, has announced a significant revision to Uganda’s proposed 2026/27 national budget, pushing total planned expenditure to 78.24 trillion shillings. The adjustment represents an 8.85 trillion shilling jump from figures presented just weeks earlier.
The original Budget Framework Paper, which received parliamentary approval in January, had projected spending at 69.39 trillion shillings. In a February 13 circular, Ggoobi explained that improved domestic revenue performance, anticipated external budget support, and additional domestic borrowing created room for the upward revision.
The revised estimates are expected to be submitted to the parliamentary budget committee in the coming days, where lawmakers will scrutinize the expanded expenditure plan. Government officials describe the increase as a strategic recalibration rather than a routine adjustment.
Additional funding is set to be directed toward high-impact sectors viewed as engines of economic expansion. Agriculture, manufacturing and industry, service-sector growth, and digital transformation have been singled out as priority areas expected to drive productivity and job creation.
Ggoobi stressed that the revised figures should be treated as firm spending caps. Accounting officers across ministries and agencies have been warned that no further negotiations or upward adjustments will be entertained once allocations are finalized.
The 2026/27 fiscal plan marks the second year of implementing National Development Plan IV, a framework aimed at dramatically scaling Uganda’s economic output over the coming decade. It is also the first budget cycle aligned with the Charter for Fiscal Responsibility for 2026–2031, underscoring the government’s renewed focus on fiscal discipline.
To strengthen transparency and curb misuse of public resources, new control measures have been introduced. Accounting officers will be personally answerable to Parliament for financial mismanagement. Recruitment will require clearance and confirmed funding, while ICT-related investments must receive central approval to avoid duplication. Governance agreements with development partners will also need prior Cabinet endorsement.
The sharp revision has triggered mixed reactions. Some civil society budget analysts have raised concerns about the reliability of initial projections that require swift correction.
However, members of the parliamentary budget committee argue the increase reflects necessary adjustments to incorporate previously recommended expenditures. In line with the Public Finance Management Act, the final draft budget must be tabled before Parliament by April
