BY MUBARAK HASSAN MUHENDA
Lwemiyaga Member of Parliament Theodore Ssekikuubo and other MPs that sit on the defense committee have asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to increase the budget of police from the projected Shs823billiion to Shs2trillion.
This will be an increase of over 120 per cent from the initial projection and about the same percentage as per the budget the forces used in the last financial year.
Mr Ssekikuubo and the other MPs on the committee told the meeting at parliament this afternoon while the Ministry of Defence and Internal Affairs headed by Gen David Muhoozi presented their budget allocations that this will not only enable the police do their work with ease but will also increase on efficiency.
“Allocating Shs823 billion against the required Shs2 trillion for FY 2023/2024 is unacceptable. The defense committee pressurized the Ministry of Internal Affairs to priotise budgetary needs of Police in order for the force to smoothly execute duty,” Mr Ssekikuubo told the meeting.
The defense committee is chaired by Sheema woman MP, Rosemary Nyakikongoro who is deputized by Kigulu South County MP, Milton Muwuma both from the ruling party, NRM.
If this budget is passed and implemented, it will be the highest budget the forces will enjoy over the years.
The police forces have been synonymous with different challenges like poor infrastructure in especially the barracks, poor pay as well as inadequate supply of resources one of which being fuel for their work.
The MPs told the committee that the budget of Shs2trillion will solve those loopholes.
During the same meeting, Deputy IGP, Godfrey Katsigazi informed the MPs how the force is under staffed given the growing population in the country.
At international level, the ratio of police to the population should be one police officer per every 500 people but Uganda dangles between one person per every 1000 people or there about.
