MPs Demand Forensic Audit of Shs3.49 Trillion Government Contingent Liabilities

What the report says

KAMPALA, Uganda — Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (Central) has asked for a forensic audit of government’s reported Shs3.49 trillion in contingent liabilities, citing concerns that some amounts may have been recorded more than once or reflect duplicate budgeting. The committee is chaired by Hon. Patrick Oshabe and raised the issue on Thursday, September 3, 2026, while reviewing a response from the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs to an Auditor General query.

The discussion centered on potential financial exposure from court cases, disputes and arbitration involving government ministries, departments and agencies. Ministry of Justice officials, led by Permanent Secretary Robert Kasande, told MPs that the ministry does not decide court outcomes and that most of the liabilities come from other government bodies. Kasande said the ministry’s lawyers have helped save government more than Shs4.4 trillion in possible losses, according to the article.

Committee members, including Kasese Municipality MP Ferigo Kambale, pressed for a clearer explanation of how the exposure rose so sharply and asked for a full list of the cases behind it. Oshabe said the Auditor General may need to conduct a special audit to rule out double recording, especially where claims are filed against the Attorney General but involve institutions such as the Uganda Police Force, Parliament or the Electoral Commission.

The committee ordered the ministry to submit a detailed schedule showing the entities involved, case status, amounts claimed and steps taken to reduce further losses. The proposed audit is meant to help Parliament verify the figures and better understand the state’s potential legal liabilities.