Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa has questioned the reliability of Uganda’s weather forecasting system, saying he would trust a village rainmaker more than the country’s meteorological forecasts.

Tayebwa made the remarks while opening a two-day induction for Members of Parliament serving on the Forum on Climate Change and the Committee on Natural Resources at Mestil Hotel in Kampala.

He called for increased government funding for meteorological services to enable the acquisition of modern equipment and technology capable of producing more accurate and timely weather information.

Tayebwa urged the parliamentary committees to push for an increase in the meteorological budget to about Shs50 billion, arguing that reliable weather information is critical for disaster preparedness and planning across different sectors of the economy.

He said accurate forecasts would help the country better prepare for extreme weather events, particularly at a time when climate-related disasters continue to affect communities and economic activities.

The remarks come amid changes in the management of Uganda’s meteorological services following the dissolution of the Uganda National Meteorological Authority under the government’s Rationalisation of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure programme.

Its functions were subsequently mainstreamed into the Ministry of Water and Environment under the Department of Meteorological Services.

The restructuring means Parliament's focus is now not only on funding an autonomous meteorological authority, but also on whether the ministry's current meteorological structure has adequate resources, equipment and institutional capacity to provide accurate and timely forecasting services.

Tayebwa said Parliament should ensure that meteorological services receive the financial and technical support required to provide reliable information to farmers, businesses, local governments and other users whose activities depend on weather forecasts.