Noise over Sorry State of Kasese Council Hall as District Passes Shs91bn Budget for FY2023-2024

Kasese District Local Government has passed a Shs91bn budget for the 2023-2024 financial year. The budget has increased by shillings 3,805,304,074 compared to the previous budget for the year 2022-2023 which was at shillings 88,096,977,700.

According to the budget passed, education department will take a lion’s share of shillings 36,029,240,641, translating to 39.20%, followed by health with a total allocation of shillings 22,247,571,000, translating to 24.21%.  Among other departments, roads and engineering will take shillings 6,898,462,168 or 7.51%

The budget is expected to be funded by locally raised revenues at a tune of shillings 5,022,608,000, local revenue at district level shillings 1,510,000,000, local government shillings 3,512,608,000, central government transfers shillings 83,372,087,774 and donors funding of about shillings 3,507,586,000.

Presenting the budget speech to the council members at the Multipurpose Hall in Kasese Town, Ham Natuhwera, the district vice chairperson, noted that the district has failed to meet the targets for the previous budget (2022-2023) due to non-remittance, spending by lower local council and reduced production levels at Hima Cement which have affected the royalties to the district.

Addressing journalists shortly after budget presentation, Eliphaz Bukombi Muhindi, the District Chairperson, noted that education sector has been considered simply because the district has many schools with high enrolments.

Elius Byamungu, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), stressed that much emphasis would be put on health sector to cater for health services, including upgrading of health facilities, construction of staff quarters and paying for health workers, among others.

He also observed the need for re-advertising Isango Market in Isango Sub-County Bukonzo West Constituency, which is among the biggest revenue earners for the district.

Byamungu warned political officials and civil servants against soliciting taxes from traders working in the market without knowledge of the district leadership, noting that the act symbolizes corruption among the district officials.

Meanwhile Jolly Kateeba, the district vice speaker who chaired the budget presentation session, made it clear to the CAO that council would not hold any other business or sitting if the district hall, which is in a sorry state, is not worked on. Kateeba noted that the hall is the only place where the district council sittings as well as many other district activities are held.

You can read the Shocking Story of a Ugandan Government Hospital Mortuary Attendant Who Earns Shs60K Per Month – For the Last 30 Years, as well as another shocking story of teenage girls who were impregnated and some infected with HIV/AIDS and abandoned by foreign workers of a Sri Lankan company that was working on an electricity project Here and There.

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