Without a Cabinet, Museveni reads own budget as opposition protests

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has in a break with tradition presented his own budget in a ceremony at the Serena International Conference Centre Wednesday in Kampala.

Traditionally, the Minister for Finance presents the budget on behalf of the President.

However, Mr Museveni has no cabinet as yet having only nominated new ministers on Monday this week.

The Ministers are yet to be vetted by parliament and with a deadline for the presentation of the budget falling, Mr Museveni has had to read it himself.

READ: Museveni expands Cabinet, appoints wife to Education ministry

However, as soon as he stood to read the budget - the first in his 30 years in power - Mr Museveni was greeted with protest from opposition members of parliament some of whom waved placards asking him to release former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye.

Dr Besigye, a former colleague and personal doctor to Mr Museveni, is jailed at the Luzira Maximum security prison on charges of treason for a mock swearing in ceremony at which he declared himself the validly elected “people’s” President.

He has been in jail since May 11.

Dr Besigye and his Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) party rejected the results of the February 18 poll that returned Museveni to a fifth elective term in office.

Mr Museveni is presenting to the country a budget of USh26 trillion (about $8.6 billion).

Mr Museveni, however, later invited the re-appointed Minister for Finance Matia Kasaija to read the rest of the budget document.

He introduced him only as the Honourable MP for Buyanja County.

Interest payments on loans are expected to take the bulk of the budget at Ushs6.4 trillion followed by Works and transport at Ush3.8 trillion.

Education is coming in third place with Ush2.75 trillion followed by Energy at and Minerals at Ush2.4 trillion while Health and Security follow with an allocation Ush1.85 trillion and Ush1.59 trillion respectively.