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Protests increased military spending
KAMPALA - The British government has suspended aid
to Uganda, protesting the �unexplained� and sudden increase in military
spending.
Highly placed
sources told Sunday Monitor that the British government has withheld UK
�10m (approximately Shs 36 billion).
The sources
told Sunday Monitor that Britain had given government till end of March to
explain the increased military spending.
The British
have been financing Uganda�s Defence Review programme through the
Department for International Development (DFID).
The British
government withheld this �general budget support grant in 2003/04
financial year� in light of concerns that decisions on the implementation
of the Defence Review were to be made that �would significantly increase
the level of military expenditure in the medium term expenditure framework
for 2004/05.�
In an
apparent worsening relations between the two erstwhile friends, the
British government is now saying it requires reassurances that increases
in defence expenditure reflect the defence review recommendations and are
affordable.
�This
requires consultation as set out in the Review�s Terms of Reference, both
in relation to the Review itself and the impact of the increases to
defence expenditure resources available to other sectors,� a highly placed
source in London told Sunday Monitor.
The source
further said the government of Uganda should consult with its partners on
the Defence Review�s recommendations before future levels of defence
expenditure are set.
The source
said that the aim of the UK government is to ensure that expenditure on
core poverty reduction programmes is not displaced.
Sources in
DIFD say that the British recognise that stability and security are
important for poverty reduction.
However,
London is concerned that levels of defence expenditure should be
transparent, appropriate and affordable.
Government
had budgeted for Shs 310 billion for the ministry of defence this
financial year (2003/04).
However, in
January 2004 government sought and obtained a supplementary military
budget of Shs 82 billion, taking the total to Shs 392 billion (US$ 203m).
Last
financial year (2002/03), the defence budget had been Shs 244 billion
(13.3 percent of total budget). However, in September 2002 government cut
the budgets of all other ministries by 23 percent.
This move
raised Shs 52 billion, taking the defence budget to a record Shs 296
billion (21 percent of total public expenditure that financial
year).
According to
the standing agreement between donors and the government of Uganda,
military spending is not supposed to exceed 1.9 percent of the Gross
Domestic product (GDP).
The battle
between the British government and President Yoweri Museveni over military
spending dates back to the mid 1990s.
In an August
28th 2001 letter to then overseas development minister, Clare Short,
Museveni sought her support to increase defence spending by $139m over a
period of three years (2002/03, 2003/04 and 2004/05).
Museveni told
Short that 1.9 percent of GDP �translated into $110 million� and the
government of Uganda was spending $113 million per year.
From the
president�s request therefore, Uganda needed to increase its defence
budget by $46.3 million per year for the first three years, placing
military spending at $160 million.
The Second
Secretary in charge of Political, Press and Public affairs at the British
High Commission, Ms Linda St Cooke told Sunday Monitor that: �We are
currently involved in discussions with GOU about our budget support for
2004/05. We anticipate that consultations with other Ugandan development
partners will be held shortly. We will make further decisions on our
financial support following the outcome of these
consultations.�
Uganda
government has been accusing donors of restricting it on defence spending;
saying this partly explains why it has been difficult to defeat the rebel
Lord�s Resistance Army (LRA).
However, on
February 27, 2004, donors made a joint statement to parliament where they
rejected this accusation.
In a strongly
worded statement, the donors said they agreed to exceptional increase in
defence spending to combat LRA in the 2002/03 financial year. Britain is
Uganda�s largest bilateral donor. | 
