The Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi, has called on Ugandans to take a more active role in monitoring public expenditure, stressing that the success of the national budget depends not only on its formulation but also on implementation, oversight and citizen participation.
Speaking at the launch of the National Budget Month for Financial Year 2026/27 at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development conference hall in Kampala on Monday, Ggoobi reaffirmed government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and inclusive public engagement throughout the budget cycle.
The launch marks the beginning of a nationwide campaign aimed at informing citizens about government priorities, reporting achievements from the current financial year and collecting public feedback to guide future planning and policy decisions.
“The National Budget Month provides an important platform for Government to account to citizens on achievements registered during the current financial year, communicate opportunities available in the new budget, and obtain feedback that informs future planning and policy decisions,” Ggoobi said.
He noted that the FY 2026/27 National Budget was developed through extensive consultations involving the President, Cabinet, Parliament, ministries, local governments, civil society organisations, development partners, the private sector, academia and various community groups, including youth, women and persons with disabilities.
The approved budget, passed by Parliament on April 24, 2026, is anchored on the theme: “Full Monetization of Uganda’s Economy through Commercial Agriculture, Industrialization, Expanding and Broadening Services, Digital Transformation and Market Access.”
Ggoobi emphasized that while consultation is critical in budget formulation, the real measure of success lies in effective implementation and oversight.
“The success of any budget goes beyond its formulation and depends largely on effective implementation, monitoring and oversight by all stakeholders,” he said.
Since its introduction in 2018, National Budget Month has been used as a platform for strengthening public participation in public finance management through dialogues, media engagements, publications, social media campaigns and community outreach activities conducted with civil society and development partners.
According to Ggoobi, the initiative has helped increase public ownership of the national budget and improved Uganda’s standing on international budget transparency indicators.
He cited findings from the latest Open Budget Survey, which show Uganda’s budget transparency score improved from 58 percent in 2021 to 59 percent in 2023, above the global average of 45 percent. Budget oversight performance also rose from 59 percent to 67 percent over the same period.
Despite the progress, he noted that more work is needed to strengthen public participation in the budget process and expressed confidence that ongoing reforms will further improve Uganda’s performance in future assessments.
Ggoobi also commended various Budget Transparency and Accountability Partners, including civil society organisations and development agencies, for supporting budget literacy and accountability efforts.
He formally launched the National Budget Month activities for FY 2026/27 and urged citizens, institutions and development partners to actively engage in the process to enhance implementation of government priorities and Uganda’s broader development goals.