Over 21 ministries, departments over spent beyond their budgetary allocation

By Awan Achiek

Over 21 government ministries, departments and agencies over spent beyond their budgetary allocation in the first quarter of the Financial Year 2023/2024.

This has been revealed by the First Deputy Speaker of the Transitional National Legislative Assembly (TNLA), Oyet Nathaniel Pierino, who said that the Ministry of Finance was among the ministries which surpassed their budget by 3,860 percent.

“What we were informed in the budget was that we had at least 21 government ministries and institutions overspending beyond the approved budget of 2023/24. And the Ministry of Finance was on top of the country,” said Nathaniel during the ongoing 8th Governors Forum on Thursday.

Nathaniel said that seven states and three administrative areas also overspent beyond their approved budget.

“The Ministry of Finance overspent its budget by 3,860 percent. That was the overspending in the Ministry of Finance. And at least 7 states and 3 administrative areas overspent beyond their approved budget,” he said.

He disclosed that only 9 government ministries and institutions including three states spent within their approved budget, adding that 34 government ministries and institutions were deprived of resources thus under spending their budget.

“This is the data that you need to know which was presented to the National Assembly, actually to the National Legislature during the budget discussion. Now, if there was an outturn in the 2023/24 budget to the tune of 2.1 trillion,” said Nathaniel.

According to data obtained by the Dawn Newspaper, the Ministry of Presidential Affairs surpassed it’s budget by 912 percent, and the Ministry of Transport by 684 percent, Ministry of Interior by 384 percent, South Sudan Revenue Authority by 111 percent, and the Ministry of Peacebuilding by 116 per cent.

The South Sudan Broadcasting Corporation (SSBC) and the National Election Commission (NEC) were also named among the institutions responsible for overspending by 172 percent and 122 percent respectively.