Ismail Kiirya, the Democratic Party (DP) deputy spokesperson and President of the Uganda Young Democrats (UYD), has commended the government of Uganda for increasing funding of the education sector in the financial year 2024-2025.
Kiirya made these remarks while addressing members of the press at City House in Kampala on June 11, 2024, while addressing the upcoming national budget for 2024–2025.
The education sector, which has had a 7% increase from its past budget, has been hailed by the DP, though the party spokesperson insists the sector should have had more funding.
“The government has budgeted Shs4.54 trillion with a 7% increase for education and we appreciate it very much. The government has tried to increase something this year, and this is very good, but this is not enough,” Kiirya said.
Kiirya further called upon the government to prioritise the three key areas of agriculture, health, and education if it is to improve the lives of Ugandans.
“The sectors of agriculture, health, and education should be prioritised to reduce pressure on the government, and we want to urge the government of Uganda that, after reading this budget, they should come up with a supplementary budget for these three sectors,” Kiirya added.
The national budget is due to be read to the nation by the Minister of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, Mathias Kasaija, on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at Kololo independence grounds.
On May 17, 2024, the Parliament of Uganda passed a national budget of Shs72.136 trillion, reflecting a significant increase of Shs14.050 trillion from the initial budget proposal of Shs58.34 trillion.