South Sudan parliament passes SSP 338 billion fiscal budget

JUBA – South Sudan parliament on Thursday voted unanimously to pass the country’s 2021/2022 fiscal budget, a parliamentary action that is the first of its kind in over two years.

The budget was presented to the parliament by the government in February and at least two readings have been conducted with finance minister answering lawmakers’ questions regarding the budget.

According to South Sudan constitution, the budget is supposed to be tabled two months before the end of the current fiscal year, but it is nine months into the fiscal year without an approved budget.

Speaking during the parliamentary sitting, speaker of parliament Jemma Nunu Kumba urged the minister of finance to table the budget on time in the future.

“We have not been following our calendar very strictly. So, this time we expect the ministry of finance to submit the budget of 2022/2023 on time,” Speaker Kumba said.

“As we are working on reforming the institutions in our country, let us try our best to follow the calendar. So, we expect that by May, the budget is tabled so that by the end of June we will pass the new budget,” she added.

Minister of Finance Agak Achuil thanked the lawmakers for passing the budget and said certain amount has to be given to the ministry of foreign affairs to clear salary arrears of diplomats who have gone for several months without being paid.

“It was passed by the cabinet that a certain amount should be given to the ministry of foreign affairs such that they clear the salaries of foreign missions. I found this but now it is on my desk and we are working on it,” Achuil said.

“As soon as we get the money, we will clear all the arrears. Remember the arrears for foreign missions were 27 months and when I came in I paid them for three months and it came to 24 months,” he added.

He added: “We are working very hard to make sure all the unpaid months for foreign missions are cleared, including the organized forces, civil servants, and the universities.”

Of the approved budget, about SSP 174,545,280,000 is surplus and the committee recommends it be allocated to spending agencies as follows: Ministry of Public Service and Human Resource Development SSP 10,000,000, Agriculture Bank of South Sudan SSP 5,000,000,000, Constituency Development Fund SSP 8,611,080,483, Ministry of Peace Building SSP 179,454,525, and Urban Water Corporation SSP 233, 956, 6177.

Additionally, the R-TNLA will receive SSP 34,680,211,008, Council of States SSP 4,203,156,357, Parliamentary Service Commission SSP 9,921,650, and Finance Ministry to clear Cooperative Bank balance SSP 544,239,368, Higher Education renovations and domestic travel SSP 966,000,000 and Ministry of Trade & Industry SSP 60,000,000.