The Committee on Trade, Tourism and Industry has raised concerns over gaps and inconsistencies in the Ministerial Policy Statement submitted by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives for the Financial Year 2026/2027.
During a meeting chaired by Hon. Boniface Okot on 25 March 2026, the Committee faulted the Ministry for failing to adhere to key legal and procedural requirements, describing the document presented to Parliament in February 2026 as incomplete and lacking essential supporting details.
Okot observed that the policy statement is in breach of Section 12 of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), which outlines the mandatory components of ministerial policy statements. He pointed out that several statutory requirements were not fulfilled, including the absence of vehicle utilisation reports, asset registers for agencies under the Ministry, and a certificate on gender and equity.
The Committee also expressed concern over missing budget projections for the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS), questioning how Parliament could effectively scrutinise the Ministry’s budget without such critical information.
“There are several entities reflected in the policy statement presented to the House that are missing in the version submitted to the Committee. This shows the seriousness of the issue,” Okot said.
Members further noted inconsistencies between documents presented during plenary and those submitted to the Committee. While some versions contained budget figures, they lacked adequate supporting documentation to justify the allocations.
“The implication of these gaps is that we cannot, for example, discuss your recruitment budget without clear recruitment plans. If not addressed, this will create serious confusion in the financial year,” said Hon. Abdulhu Byakatonda, Workers MP.
Bwamba County MP, Hon. Richard Gafabusa, criticised what he described as a growing assumption among some government entities that Parliament does not rigorously examine submitted documents. He questioned how a Ministry supported by technical staff could fail to properly prepare such an important document within the stipulated timeframe.
The Committee directed the Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (Industry), Hon. David Bahati, to take responsibility for rectifying the errors.
“What we are trying to do is avoid engaging in irregular processes. There must be respect for this Committee. If such documents are accepted with obvious errors, it sets a bad precedent,” Okot emphasised.
Bahati apologised to the Committee, attributing the shortcomings to a mix-up of documents. He assured Members that a revised and compliant policy statement would be submitted.
“The updated document meets all requirements except for the certificate on equal opportunities. We apologise and commit to presenting a proper document at the next meeting,” Bahati said.
