The Internal Affairs Minister, Maj Gen Kahinda Otafiire, stated that while the government desires to enhance the welfare of police officers, resource constraints in the country will delay such improvements.
Addressing the Defense and Internal Affairs committee on January 10, 2024, Minister Otafiire responded to MPs, including Theodore Ssekikubo and Betty Bakireke Nambooze, who advocated for an increase in the Police Force budget. He emphasized that competing demands from other sectors like immigration officers, prison officers, and NIRA make budget allocations challenging.
Otafiire acknowledged the desire to enhance provisions for the police but emphasized that Uganda, being a developing country, must budget according to available resources. The minister, along with State Minister for Internal Affairs Gen David Muhoozi, presented the ministry’s indicative budget estimates for the 2024/25 financial year.
MPs, including Ssekikubo and Nambooze, argued for an increase in the Police Force budget, citing the impact of budget reductions on field operations, housing, office space, clothing, fuel, vehicle maintenance, utilities, and outstanding arrears. The indicative budget estimates show a reduction from UGX 975.414 billion in the last fiscal year to UGX 896.565 billion in the ongoing year.
The crime prevention and investigation management sub-programme faced a significant budget cut, impacting intelligence gathering, counter-terrorism efforts, surveillance systems, community policing, and international information sharing. The feeding of personnel in operations was also affected, receiving only UGX 45 billion out of the required UGX 91 billion.
