Finance ministry blames National Council of Sports for the delayed release of money allocated in the national budget
The finance ministry said they are fully committed to meeting the required financing needs of the sports sub-sector within the available cash flows, to support and facilitate the gallant sportsmen and women.
The State Minister of Finance for Investment and Privatization Evelyn Anite has informed parliament that the total approved Budget for the Financial Year 2022/23 for the National Council of Sports (NCS) is Shs47.81 billion.
In her Statement on the Status of the Release of the Budget for the Sports sub-sector, Anite noted that the money comprises Shs1.61 billion for wages, Shs0.42 billion for gratuity, Shs7.75 billion for non-wages recurrent, Shs.38.03 billion for non-wages subvention, all totalling to Shs47.81 billion.
She noted that the Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development has so far this FY released a total of Shs17.61 billion to the NCS to facilitate wages and support the various sports federations. This represents 36.84% of the approved government’s Budget.
To ascertain the extent of financial pressures that triggered subsequent releases of the council, Anite said they requested the council’s accounting office to provide some detailed information needed by the ministry of finance, something they haven’t done till now.
“Subsequently, we requested the accounting officer, National Council of Sports to submit the information about payrolls of all the relevant federations to ascertain the exact wage bill; contracts for all staff that are employed by the federations; tenancy agreements for the federations that are renting; receipts for the expenses spent on utilities; calendar for all international and domestic events for this FY 2O22 /23, the council has to-date not provided the information,” she said.
Meanwhile, the president of the Federation of Uganda Football Associations (FUFA), and Member of Parliament Budiope East, Moses Magogo, has appealed to the government to release money for sports as appropriated by parliament to enable federations to prepare teams and athletes for international competitions.
“But even the Shs.6.5 billion released has never reached the federations. So the activities of various federations like boxing, basketball, athletics, netball and football are being affected and yet it is only sports in this country that unites all of us irrespective of our background.
So my appeal to the government is that parliament did its role, appropriating shs35 billion and ring-fencing it to the ministry of finance to make sure that it releases this money,” he said.
The Parliament has approved a motion to have a select committee investigate the operations of the National Council of Sports and the related funding to the whole sports sector. “We shall not add you money before you handle the governance issues at the secretariat,” Speaker Anita Annet Among.
