The Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has revealed that government plans to spend Shs72.429 billion on internet services in the Financial Year 2026/27, with the Uganda Police Force taking the lion share of the allocation.
Details contained in the Second Budget Call Circular issued last week by the Secretary to Treasury, Ramathan Ggoobi, show that the Police is projected to spend Shs42.036 billion on internet services, largely for internet, dark fibre and leased lines.
The circular guides Accounting Officers of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies on priority areas in the forthcoming national budget and provides estimates of annual internet consumption across government institutions.
According to the document, the Ministry of Defence and Veteran Affairs is expected to spend Shs3.260 billion, while the Judiciary has a projected internet budget of Shs3.181 billion.
Other major spenders include the Ministry of Works and Transport, which has earmarked Shs2.269 billion, and the National Information Technology Authority Uganda with a budget of Shs2.267 billion. The Uganda Revenue Authority has allocated Shs901.3 million towards internet consumption.
An annex detailing estimated annual internet services consumption for FY 2026/27 further shows that the National Citizenship and Immigration Control will spend Shs715.6 million, while the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development has budgeted Shs512.9 million.
The Ministry of ICT and National Guidance is projected to spend Shs563.8 million, the Office of the President Shs412.5 million and State House of Uganda Shs211.8 million on internet services.
The annex also indicates that the Parliamentary Commission will spend Shs394 million, the Directorate of Public Prosecutions Shs613.9 million and the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development itself Shs795.1 million.
Other notable allocations include Shs470.1 million for the Ministry of Water and Environment, Shs359.5 million for the Uganda Registration Services Bureau, Shs320.1 million for the Financial Intelligence Authority, Shs292.7 million for the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development and Shs333.9 million for Mbarara University of Science and Technology.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries has allocated Shs292.8 million, while the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is set to spend Shs500.9 million. The Uganda Industrial Research Institute will spend Shs204.8 million and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives Shs192.3 million.
At the lower end of the spending scale, Nebbi General Hospital has budgeted Shs1.78 million, Kyenjojo Hospital Shs1.80 million, and the Uganda Development Corporation Shs1.99 million for internet services.
The projected expenditure shows the much resilience on digital infrastructure across government institutions, with security, justice and revenue collection agencies accounting for a bigger portion of the internet services budget in the coming financial year.
