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Kitgum, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kitgum District Local Government has approved a budget of 32.9 billion Shillings for the 2020/2021 financial year. The draft budget was presented before the district council by Gaston Billy Graham, the District Vice Chairperson in a sitting at the District Council Hall on Wednesday.
Out of the total approved budget, 31.2 billion Shillings will be allocated to the higher local government budget, while 1.7 billion Shillings will be sent to the lower local government’s.
However, there was a 24 per cent decrease in the revenue estimates down from the 43.7 billion Shillings in 2019/2020 financial year. According to Graham, the decrease in proposed revenue estimates was due to the government transfers and failure to receive funding from donors in the 2019/2020 financial year.
The education sector has taken 36.9 per cent of the budget, 21.8 per cent goes to the health sector and administration takes 17.7 per cent, according to the District Council Speaker Simon Loum. He says that the budget is expected to be submitted to the Local Government Ministry and Ministry of finance and planning by May 29.
The district has seen a decrease in the budget approved this financial year by almost 10 billion from 43 billion Shillings approved in the financial year 2019/2020. According to Loum, the decrease arose from failures by some of the development partners to remit funding that was budgeted for in the 2019/2020 budget.
The budget estimates however evoked debates from various council five representatives of the nine sub-counties who alleged that there was bias in the allocation of capital development fund.
For instance, Rose Akech Olaa, the woman representative of Mucwini Sub-county notes that her area has not received any developmental project in the financial year 2020/2021 and wondered why the planners never relied on principles of equity.
Jennifer Amono Opira, the women representative for Pager and Central Division, on the other hand, says there is a need for adjustment on the budget to ensure that all the sub-counties receive capital fund allocations.
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