State House is facing fresh scrutiny over its expenditure after Parliament revealed that the institution spent a staggering Shs982 billion in the 2025/26 financial year, despite having initially been allocated only Shs119 billion.
The figures, presented before Parliament’s Budget Committee on November 11, 2026, have raised serious questions about government spending priorities, supplementary budgets and accountability for public funds.
According to Parliament, the Shs982 billion expenditure represents more than eight times State House’s original budget, exposing a massive gap between the initial allocation and the amount eventually spent during the financial year.
Appearing before the Budget Committee, Finance Minister Henry Musasizi defended the expenditure, explaining that government had approved supplementary funding to cover shortfalls, particularly in classified expenditure.
Musasizi argued that the government had a responsibility to ensure that the President receives sufficient financial resources to execute his official duties.
However, the explanation is likely to intensify public debate over how billions of taxpayers’ money can be spent beyond the original budget, especially at a time when Ugandans continue to demand better funding for essential public services.
The central issue is not simply whether the President requires resources to perform his constitutional responsibilities, but whether such enormous expenditure is subjected to sufficient scrutiny, transparency and accountability.
The difference between State House’s original allocation of Shs119 billion and the reported expenditure of Shs982 billion amounts to Shs863 billion. This raises questions about the scale of supplementary funding approved, the specific expenditure items involved and the extent to which Parliament was able to scrutinise the additional spending.
The reference to classified expenditure also presents an accountability challenge because such spending is not always disclosed in the same detail as ordinary government expenditure. Nevertheless, the use of public funds remains a matter of national interest and must operate within the applicable legal and parliamentary oversight frameworks.
Ugandans deserve to understand how public money is being utilised, particularly when supplementary allocations run into hundreds of billions of shillings.
The revelation now places State House expenditure under the spotlight and raises broader questions about the country’s budgetary discipline.
While Musasizi insists that the President must be adequately facilitated to perform his duties, Parliament and the public still have legitimate questions about how an institution initially allocated Shs119 billion ended up spending Shs982 billion in a single financial year.
The figures demand more than political explanations. They demand accountability, transparency and clear answers about where the money went.
