Members Demand Better Support For Uganda’s Overseas Missions

Members of Parliament have urged the government to assist Uganda’s overseas missions with sufficient funds and other resources in order to ensure their effective operation.
On Thursday, December 1, 2022, the Uganda High Commission in London was the subject of a report that the MPs were discussing.

The foreign service allowance given to officers has, according to the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Fred Opolot, hardly been enough to keep up with rising living expenses. The rates were last changed in 2009, he added.

The priority budget requests made by missions for the 2022–2023 budget should be reviewed and taken into consideration by the Ministry of Finance, according to Opolot, so they can effectively carry out their mandate.

The Committee recommended that all overseas service allowances be increased by the government.

Speaker Anita Among noted that the compensation offered to ambassadors and other officials in other countries is insufficient to support their task.

“These employees are paid in Uganda Shillings, but when they convert to the local currencies, there is not enough money. Their pay frequently falls short of the cost of living, the speaker claimed.

“How are you going to expect someone to survive in Russia if we appropriate money for them and it is not released? These people require funding to function, “among others

The Speaker also mentioned how many of Uganda’s buildings abroad are in disrepair, underscoring the critical need for enough financing to carry out the essential renovations.

Hon. John Baptist Nambeshe, Chief Whip of the Opposition, highlighted that the National Development Plan was hampered by the absence of a well-documented National Foreign Policy (NDP III).

Hon. Cecilia Ogwal, a female MP from the Dokolo district, questioned why the Foreign Affairs Ministry was still receiving financing for international missions in the lack of a foreign policy.

The need for proper pay for foreign service officers was stressed by Hon. Herbert Ariko (NRM, Soroti Municipal).

“Our overseas service employees continue to receive a US$4000 allowance. In Moscow, an apartment can be rented for between $2500 and $3000 USD. These individuals have families and ought to be able to survive in such economies, according to Ariko.

Prior to the start of the House’s budgeting process, Speaker Among instructed the Prime Minister to make a presentation on his foreign policy.
Parliament approved the Report.