Rukiga County MP Patrick Kiconco Katabaazi has been appointed to the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Budget (PACOB) for the 2026–2029 period. This appointment places him at the centre of discussions on how government resources should be prioritised and scrutinised. As a member of PACOB, Katabaazi will advise on budget priorities, fiscal discipline, and the alignment of public resources with national development priorities.
However, Katabaazi's appointment raises questions about his past involvement with public funds. In 2023, he was summoned by Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) over Shs39 billion that NAADS had advanced to his law firm, Pathways Advocates, in connection with compensation for tea nursery operators. The Auditor General’s findings had raised concerns about whether the intended beneficiaries had received the money.
During the COSASE proceedings, MPs demanded documentation showing how the funds had been distributed. Katabaazi maintained that the payments and deductions were connected to legal and administrative arrangements with the beneficiaries. However, COSASE questioned whether sufficient documentation had been provided to justify the deductions. The parliamentary dispute did not simply disappear, with a later court record showing that Parliament’s final resolution recommended that the Inspectorate of Government investigate Katabaazi.
The controversy returned to the public domain this year after President Yoweri Museveni raised concerns over alleged deductions from compensation paid to tea nursery operators and referred to Pathways Advocates in a February 2026 letter to the then Attorney General. Those allegations remain contested. The former Attorney General’s office subsequently said the legal representatives and operators’ leadership had denied allegations of 30% deductions during an April 2026 meeting.
The timing of Katabaazi’s PACOB appointment makes the development particularly significant. The same political system now expects him to participate in conversations about fiscal discipline, public expenditure, budget priorities, and value for money —areas that are central to PACOB’s mandate. This creates a legitimate public-interest question: Can Katabaazi’s experience in the tea compensation controversy become part of the scrutiny expected of PACOB members?
For Katabaazi, the appointment is undoubtedly a bigger national platform. But it also places his own financial-record controversies under a much brighter light. PACOB will be watching Uganda’s money, and many Ugandans will now be watching PACOB—and Katabaazi’s role in it. The appointment has sparked interest in the public domain, with some questioning how Katabaazi's past experiences will influence his decisions on the committee.
As PACOB begins its work, it will be crucial for Katabaazi to demonstrate transparency and accountability in his dealings. The committee's mandate includes scrutinising proposed government spending and identifying priorities within the available resource envelope. With Katabaazi's appointment, the public will be keen to see how he navigates these responsibilities, given his past involvement with public funds and the outstanding questions surrounding the Shs39 billion tea compensation.
Key points
- Rukiga County MP Patrick Kiconco Katabaazi appointed to Presidential Advisory Committee on Budget
- Katabaazi's past involvement with Shs39 billion tea compensation raises questions about his role on PACOB
- The appointment sparks debate about fiscal discipline and public expenditure in Uganda's budget planning
