Executive Director, African Center for Parliamentary Affairs, Dr. Rasheed Draman, says the creation of the parliamentary budget office will transform and significantly improve parliament’s oversight role on public financial management in the country.

According to him, parliament has been struggling to properly oversee the budget and public financial management process in general due to the absence of a parliamentary budget office.

Thus, the introduction of the parliamentary budget committee in the revised standing orders of parliament is a welcome addition.

“Some years back we did a study which is called Africa Parliamentary Index, and we looked at the powers of parliament in Africa on overseeing the budget and public financial management in general. And honourable has made reference to Uganda and Kenya, our parliament was last among seven parliaments in terms of financial oversight.

“Uganda and Kenya were at the top because they have this budget committee and they also have a Budget Act. And they also have what is called a parliamentary budget office. We’ve been struggling here up to this day to have that office set up. So through this private members bill that he’s been referring to, I’ve been part of the process sponsored by the leaders, I just hope it finds the light of day just like these standing orders,” he said on JoyNews’ PM Express.

Describing the functions of the parliamentary budget office, Dr. Draman noted that the office will be set up to assist parliamentarians carefully analyse and interrogate government’s budget proposals.

It will also perform research duties for other committees of parliament.

“As it is right now, sometimes they go and interrogate the budget shooting in the dark because parliament is constrained in a way because if you look at the research department for instance, we have a research department but the number if you look at the ratio of researcher per MP is very low.

“If you look at the committee level, one committee clerk is serving many committees, overstretched, and now they have the clusters and so on. So if you have this paliamentary budget office, it is similar to what is in the US called Congressional Budget Office  which has more than 3000 staff.

“People with backgrounds from artificial intelligence, mathematics, down to zoology so that if there’s any matter concerning the budget or for that matter any bill that comes before parliament this will be the body – and it’s fiercely independent.

“I just hope ours will also be fiercely independent because in many countries like in US and Canada, sometimes the government will come in with some kind of projections and the parliamentary budget office will come and say ‘no this is not going to hold,’” he said.