43 Cabinet Ministers vetted, outline priorities

The Appointments Committee has vetted 42 out of the 81 persons appointed for ministerial positions by the President last week.

After their vetting, several of the nominees outlining their priorities for their portfolios.

The vetting exercise was presided over by the Speaker, Jacob Marksons Oboth and the Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa on Monday, 01 June 2026.

Among those vetted were the third Deputy Prime Minister and Minister without Portfolio, Hon. Lukia Nakadama, Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Hon. Henry Musasizi, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, Attorney General, Hon. Sam Mayanja and the Second Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Crispus Kiyonga.

Speaking to the media after the vetting exercise, Nakadama, said she intends to improve coordination between Parliament and the Executive, particularly regarding ministerial attendance in the House.

“As far as I’m concerned there are things that we have to change. We are going to come up with a rota for whoever will be supposed to attend Parliament so that we do not make Parliament stuck. Ministers should be there because they have to answer questions, they have to table their bills, they have to present papers,” she said.

Through the Finance Ministry, government will focus on increasing Uganda’s tax-to-GDP ratio from the current 13 percent to 20 percent, while strengthening wealth creation initiatives, particularly the Parish Development Model (PDM), Musasizi said.

“We have moved a great mile; about Shs4.4 trillion is now in the 1,0589 parishes; we shall continue to ensure the remaining households are brought into the money economy,” Musasizi said.

Commenting on the recent communication by the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, Ramathan Ggobi, suspending funding for most public holiday celebrations, he said government was pursuing allocative efficiency by redirecting resources from less essential expenditures to priority sectors.

“What the PSST is saying is that for example if you are spending a billion on a public holiday, can’t there be other ways of achieving the objective of Ugandans celebrating where there are no expenditures so that money moves to the enablers?” said Musasizi.

The Works and Transport Minister, Hon. Fred Byamukama identified corruption as one of the major obstacles affecting project implementation in the transport sector and pledged to tackle the vice.

“To get a contract in the transport sector you have to pay a percentage, for example if the contract is worth Shs30 billion, these engineers, say they need 60 percent of this money yet that money indirectly affects the implementation of projects. We must therefore fight corruption so that we get money to finish our roads,” said Byamukama.

Byamukama also said his ministry would prioritise completion of the Standard Gauge Railway from Kampala to Malaba and onward to Naivasha in Kenya, as well as rehabilitation of the Meter Gauge Railway. He argued that improving railway transport would help lower transportation costs that continue to drive up commodity prices.

The Minister will also ensure completion of delayed and abandoned road projects, including the Mubende-Mityana road, Mutukula road and Jinja Express Highway.

At the Agriculture Ministry, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze said government will continue implementing the Parish Development Model while supporting medium and large-scale farmers through affordable financing mechanisms.

“PDM is our flagship project for smallholder farmers, and where the large-scale farmers are concerned, we shall be working with the Ministry of Finance to continue opening up favorable low-interest loans in Uganda Development Bank and government banks,” he said.

The Attorney General-designate, Hon. Sam Mayanja, described his appointment as a continuation of the work he has been undertaking in the Lands Ministry, noting that both offices are rooted in legal interpretation and implementation.

Mayanja said his priority would be enforcing existing laws rather than pursuing extensive legislative reforms. “The issues of land titling, double titling, district land boards operating in accordance with the law, the ownership of land, these are issues which can be done so fast without having to come to Parliament for legislation,” he said.