Speaker Jemma Nunu Kumba hands passed budget to President Salva Kiir. | 7th October 2022. | Photo: Office of President/Facebook.)

A civil society activist petitioned the national parliament on Wednesday to summon relevant ministers over the two-week delay in tabling the 2024-2025 fiscal year budget in line with the East African Community Treaty.

Ter Manyang, Executive Director of Centre for Peace and Advocacy (CPA0 said Juba has fallen behind in presenting its annual budget in the second week of June.

He also said the delay contravenes article 87 (1) of the Transitional Constitution that mandates the leadership to initiate timely fiscal year budget bill for the allocation of resources and revenue.

He further quoted an article that allows the parliament to approve the Bill in modification or reject it in totality within the prescribed period between the first week of May and June 30th each year.

Manyang appealed the parliament to summon the Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Minister of Finance and Planning to explain what is delaying the tabling of the budget.

“This humble petition of the Centre for Peace and Advocacy brings to the attention of the TNLA which is the law-making representative of the people and oversight body of the executive to ensure the violation of both the national and East African community laws are rectified as soon as possible,” he said in a statement to Eye Radio on Wednesday.

“This petition recommended the TNLA to summon the following ministers who are responsible for the presentation of the budget agenda to the Council of Ministers to explain why it has not happened up to date.”

On June 13, 2024, a member of parliament representing South Sudan in the East Africa Legislative Assembly expressed concerns over Juba’s delayed submission of fiscal year 2024/2025 budget.

This came after East African nations including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Burundi started presenting their budgets where they explored the possibilities of obtaining finance to fund their expenditures and bolster their economies.

According to the EAC treaty, Finance Ministers of partner states must observe a tradition of reading their annual budgets simultaneously in the afternoon of the second Thursday of June.

On June 11, 2024, the Minister of Finance and Planning, Awow Daniel Chuang, told the lawmakers that the budget is already approved by the Economic Cluster, and will be presented to the council of the minister this week.