The government has tabled the Supplementary Appropriation (No.2) Bill, 2025, before parliament, seeking approval for Shs 6 trillion drawn from the Consolidated Fund during the 2024/2025 financial year. The funds were accessed through a supplementary budget to address shortfalls across key sectors, including State House, defence and security, and local governments. Key beneficiaries include the ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (Shs 915.4 billion), State House (Shs 606.4 billion), ministry of Works and Transport (Shs 442.8 billion), and the ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs, alongside allocations to local governments largely for salaries and wages. Presenting the Bill, the minister of state for Finance, Planning and Economic Development (General Duties) Henry Musasizi said the additional funding was necessitated by lower-than-expected revenues, rising recurrent expenditures such as wages and interest payments, and unforeseen demands during the financial year. The Bill, introduced towards the close of the 2025/2026 financial year, is largely intended to regularise expenditure already incurred in line with the Public Finance Management Act. However, the move has drawn criticism from opposition MPs, civil society actors and policy analysts, who argue that supplementary budgets are increasingly becoming routine rather than exceptional. They warn that the growing practice of spending first and seeking parliamentary approval later risks undermining accountability and reducing parliament’s oversight role. Julius Mukunda of the Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) urged parliament to subject the request to thorough scrutiny, questioning whether the expenditures were unavoidable and whether they delivered value for money. He warned that such large supplementary spending could undermine fiscal stability and debt sustainability. In response, Musasizi defended the request as constitutional, noting that supplementary estimates are permissible where approved funds are insufficient or where urgent expenditure arises. The Bill, signed by Finance minister Matia Kasaija in December 2025, seeks to retrospectively legalise the additional spending from July 1, 2024. Meanwhile, permanent secretary and secretary to the Treasury Ramathan Ggoobi attributed recurring supplementary requests to poor budgeting practices within ministries, departments and agencies. He said some accounting officers deliberately understate initial budgets, a practice known as “low-balling” to justify subsequent funding requests. Ggoobi warned that such “budget games” fuel inefficiency, corruption and weak fiscal discipline, adding that government is taking steps to curb the practice as part of broader efforts to strengthen transparency and improve public finance management.The post Gov’t seeks parliamentary approval for Shs 6 trillion already spent last year appeared first on The Observer.