Ssemujju Nganda: Calls for Uganda Budget Integrity at Njuba Lecture

• Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda delivered a keynote address on September 24, 2026, at the 2nd Annual Sam Kalega Njuba Memorial Lecture in Kampala.
• Nganda highlighted Sam Kalega Njuba's legacy of integrity and accountability, noting that early NRM ministers like Njuba purchased and maintained their own official vehicles and paid their drivers.
• Uganda's FY 2026/27 budget of Shs 84.3 trillion is nearly half-financed by borrowing, with 40% (Shs 33.6 trillion) allocated to debt servicing.
• An ongoing investigation is probing the alleged diversion of $14 million (Shs 51 billion) meant for debt service into private overseas accounts.
• The current budget includes Shs 161 billion for new MPs' vehicles and Shs 236 billion for ministers' and senior officials' vehicles, contrasting with past standards.

Concerns over Ssemujju Nganda Uganda budget integrity are heightened by an ongoing investigation into the alleged diversion of $14 million, equivalent to Shs 51 billion, which was designated for debt service but reportedly ended up in private overseas accounts.

Ssemujju Ibrahim Nganda, the Secretary General of the PFF, delivered the keynote address at the 2nd Annual Sam Kalega Njuba Memorial Lecture on September 24, 2026. The event, held at Plot 5A1 John Babiiha Avenue in Kampala, honored the legacy of Sam Kalega Njuba, a distinguished lawyer, freedom fighter, politician, and statesman. The lecture was attended by notable figures including the Guest of Honour, Rtd. Justice Dr. Esther Kitimbo Kisakye, a former Justice of the Supreme Court of Uganda, and Senior Counsel Isaac Ssemakadde, who serves as the President of the Uganda Law Society, alongside other members of the Uganda Law Society.

Nganda's connection to Njuba is both personal and political; he succeeded Njuba as the Member of Parliament for Kyadondo East in 2011. He also worked directly with Njuba when Njuba chaired the Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) and Nganda served as the party's Secretary for Information and Communication at the time of Njuba's passing in 2013. Prior to his political career and joining FDC in 2010, Nganda had interacted with Njuba during his tenure as a journalist at the Daily Monitor, and first encountered him in the early 1990s when Njuba visited Masaka Secondary School, where he regularly checked on students he was educating, many of whom were not his biological children. Njuba would bring pilawo in a burnt saucepan, teasing the students about their status as children of a minister while making them carry the saucepan 300 meters from the main gate to the boys' hostel, past the girls' hostel.

Sam Kalega Njuba, who passed away in 2013, was a pivotal figure in Uganda's political landscape, having served as the Secretary of the NRM external wing based in Nairobi during the 1980s. His contemporaries included prominent figures such as the late Eriya Kategaya, the late Kirunda Kivejinja, Hon. Mathew Rukikaire, Hon. John Patrick Amama Mbabazi, the late Dr. Sulaiman Kiggundu, Gen. Yoweri Museveni, Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, Prof. Yusuf Lule, and Dr. Kizza Besigye, whom he recruited into the 'Struggle against dictatorship.' Njuba also held the position of Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister in the first NRM government from 1986 to 1994.

Nganda highlighted Njuba as part of a generation that viewed public office as a profound duty and service, rather than a privilege. This ethos was reflected in their commitment to integrity, high levels of accountability, and transparency. For instance, ministers during that era, including Njuba, were responsible for purchasing, maintaining, and fueling their own ministerial vehicles, such as the black Nissan Laurel, and even hired and paid their own drivers. These rigorous standards, which distinguished the new NRM ministers from their predecessors, have, according to Nganda, since been abandoned.

The current financial year, 2026/27, presents a stark contrast to the ethical standards of Njuba's time, with Uganda's budget totaling Shs 84.3 trillion. A significant portion, nearly half at Shs 36.9 trillion, is projected to be financed through borrowing, as taxes and other revenue sources are expected to contribute only about Shs 47 trillion. This reliance on debt is further compounded by the fact that Shs 33.6 trillion, or 40% of the entire budget, is allocated to debt servicing for the current financial year.

Concerns over Ssemujju Nganda Uganda budget integrity are heightened by an ongoing investigation into the alleged diversion of $14 million, equivalent to Shs 51 billion, which was designated for debt service but reportedly ended up in private overseas accounts. This incident underscores a critical challenge to the nation's fiscal management, suggesting that even funds earmarked for essential obligations are vulnerable to misappropriation. The speaker emphasized that while Njuba and his peers managed their own vehicle expenses despite serving an impoverished nation, current budgetary provisions reflect a different approach.

The shift in public service standards is evident in contemporary government spending on official perks. In the current budget, which heavily relies on borrowing, substantial allocations have been made for vehicles for government officials. Specifically, Shs 161 billion has been provided to acquire vehicles for new Members of Parliament, while an additional Shs 236 billion is allocated for vehicles for ministers and other senior government officials. This contrasts sharply with the earlier NRM standards where officials like Njuba bore such costs themselves.

Nganda's address implicitly critiques the current administration's priorities, highlighting a perceived departure from the principles of frugality and self-reliance that characterized early NRM leadership. The substantial expenditure on luxury vehicles for officials, financed by borrowed funds, stands in stark opposition to the historical precedent set by figures like Njuba, who prioritized public duty over personal privilege and managed their own operational expenses.

Source: Original reporting via PFF Secretary General's address