By A heated debate has unfolded on social media following revelations that the Office of the Leader of the Opposition (LOP) in Parliament operates on an annual budget of UGX 4.243 billion, equivalent to approximately UGX 354 million per month.
The discussion was sparked by Godwin Toko, who questioned the morality of such expenditure in a country where 42% of the population lives on less than UGX 220,000 per month.
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“What Joel Ssenyonyi blows in just 30 days is equivalent to what 1,609 Ugandans earn in a month! This is gross abuse of taxpayers’ money,” Toko wrote on X (formerly Twitter), adding that the LoP’s budget is now close to what former Speaker Jacob Oulanyah once described as “too high” at UGX 4.432 billion, which he reportedly intended to cut to UGX 2 billion.
Toko further alleged that under the current Parliament leadership, the LoP’s budget increased by 37%, while the Speaker’s allocation rose by 384%, and the Deputy Speaker’s by over 400%, suggesting the hikes were meant to silence dissent.
In response, Joel Ssenyonyi, the current Leader of the Opposition, clarified that the budget is not for his personal use but for facilitating activities of opposition MPs and staff.
“Contrary to what some believe, the LoP’s budget does not go to the pocket of the office bearer. If anything, I don’t even have control over that budget. The Speaker must clear all our activities,” Ssenyonyi said, revealing that on several occasions, funds allocated to opposition activities were rechannelled by the Speaker to other parliamentary programs without their consent.
He expressed frustration over what he termed as “operational irregularities” in Parliament, where opposition activities remain unfunded despite being budgeted for.
Principal Press Secretary to the Speaker of parliament Sabiti Joseph weighed in, emphasizing that the Public Finance Management Act gives overall control of funds to Parliament’s accounting officers, not political leaders.
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“The office of the LoP doesn’t manage an account; a technical officer under the Clerk oversees those funds. This debate should be about accountability across the board,” Sabiti noted, calling for deeper scrutiny of budget allocations.
According to official records, the LoP’s budget has grown from UGX 3.089 billion in FY 2020/21 to UGX 4.243 billion in FY 2024/25, a 37.35% increase, despite widespread poverty and fiscal constraints.
The debate underscores growing public concern over Parliament’s expenditure, which has been a recurring theme under the hashtag #UgandaParliamentExhibition.
