The Minister of State for Finance (General Duties), Henry Musasizi, has expressed disagreement with a petition from the National Youth Council (NYC) challenging the merger of secretariats of special interest groups. Musasizi argued that the merger will not have a negative financial impact on the activities of these interest groups.
Speaking before the House Committee on Gender, Labour, and Social Development, Musasizi responded to the concerns raised by the NYC. The NYC had presented a petition to Parliament in July 2023, expressing worries that the merger would exacerbate the already high youth unemployment rate.
The NYC’s secretariat was consolidated with the National Women’s Council, National Children Authority, National Council for Persons with Disabilities, and National Council for Older Persons into a single secretariat. According to the NYC, this merger could jeopardize efforts to combat unemployment.
To address financial concerns, the NYC proposed that the government should consider reducing the number of Members of Parliament representing youths and cabinet ministers representing special interest groups. They suggested that only national representation should receive allowances to free up funds for other activities.
Minister Musasizi assured the committee that the merger of the secretariats was intended to reduce administrative costs for increased efficiency without reducing the budget. He stated that funding for each group would remain unaffected by the merger.
The committee raised questions about the social and economic impact of merging all the secretariats. They inquired about how the government planned to compensate for potential job losses and whether the move would marginalize already disadvantaged groups.
Minister Musasizi explained that the government expected to save approximately 300 billion Ugandan shillings in administrative costs through the rationalization of all secretariats.
