By An Executive Editor
The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Martins OKoth Ochola, has ordered that there won’t be any allowances for cops after field work.
Close sources say that the IGP’s directive followed a budget cut that affected all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government. Uganda Police Force falls directly under the Internal Affairs ministry.
Recently, Finance Ministry officials cut planned government spending for the Financial Year 2022/2023 in an attempt to tame rampant inflation and high interest rates.
Citing economic difficulties, the Ministry of Finance fiscal policymakers yesterday announced an unforeseen budget cut on public expenditure for the first quarter of the financial year 2022/2023 by six percent.
Public spending or government spending refers to money by the public sector for the acquisition of goods and provision of services such as education, healthcare, development projects, social protection, and defence, among others.
In the approved budget, the government public expenditure is supposed to be 25 percent representing Shs12 trillion in every quarter of the 2022/2023 national budget which is Shs48.1 trillion.
However, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development said 25 percent of public expenditure has been reduced to 18.9 percent due to economic difficulties.
Initially, cops sent to the field were entitled to allowances for the day’s work.
However, the new directive means that there will not be any form of allowances.
Instead, sources say that the IGP has ordered that there will only be priorities in three areas – feeding suspects, dogs (Canine) and fuel.
