The government will stop funding most national public holiday celebrations beginning in the 2026/27 financial year, with the savings to be redirected to wealth creation and other priority programmes, Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury Dr. Ramathan Ggoobi has announced.
For years, the government has spent billions of shillings annually on national events commemorating public holidays such as International Women’s Day, Labour Day, Heroes Day, NRM Liberation Day, Independence Day, and other national observances.
Traditionally, these celebrations have received budget allocations through various government ministries, departments, and agencies, with funds spent on parades, security deployments, tents, public address systems, transport, accommodation, and other logistical requirements.
Uganda currently observes 14 officially recognised public holidays each year, comprising both religious and statutory commemorations.
However, economists and public finance experts have long questioned the cost of organising large-scale celebrations for statutory holidays, arguing that the resources could be channelled into more productive sectors of the economy and development programmes.
According to a statement posted on the Ministry of Finance’s X account, Dr. Ggoobi says government funding for most public holiday celebrations will be discontinued beginning with the 2026/27 financial year.Under the new arrangement,
Dr. Ggoobi says only a limited number of key religious observances are expected to continue receiving public funding, while most statutory commemorations will no longer attract government expenditure. He explains that the decision is part of wider efforts to rationalise public expenditure, improve efficiency in the use of public resources, and prioritise investments that directly contribute to wealth creation and economic transformation.
By URN
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