Members of the NRM Parliamentary Caucus will convene at State House Entebbe on Friday, March 7, 2025, at 12:00 PM to deliberate on the nation’s budget priorities for the 2025/26 financial year.
The high-stakes meeting chaired by Government Chief Whip Obua Denis Hamson is expected to set the tone for how resources will be allocated, who benefits and what sectors take center stage ahead of the budget’s formal presentation before Parliament by April 1, 2025.
Uganda’s past budgets have often drawn criticism for prioritizing security and administrative expenditures over critical sectors like health, education and job creation.
With elections approaching in 2026, analysts expect that politically strategic allocations such as increased funding for presidential initiatives, security and infrastructure projects will dominate discussions.
The meeting will be attended by NRM legislators who hold the majority in Parliament and wield significant influence over national policy.
Key figures such as President Museveni (the NRM National Chairman), the Vice President, the Prime Minister and the NRM Secretary General have been copied into the official communication indicating the weight of the discussions.
While the official agenda states that the meeting will focus on budget priorities, insiders speculate that it could also serve as a political strategy session shaping NRM’s economic narrative ahead of 2026.
Will MPs push for a budget that reflects public interest, or will they rubber-stamp allocations dictated by the executive?
In past budgets, Uganda has witnessed a pattern where security and defense always a top priority, often receiving massive allocations under the justification of maintaining national stability.
All attendees are required to undergo a mandatory COVID-19 test before the meeting.
The timing of this requirement has raised eyebrows, given that Uganda has largely moved past pandemic restrictions. Some observers think this is a genuine health precaution of controlling attendance and limit external influence on discussions.
