Kasese District Approves Shs103bn Budget

Kasese District Approves Shs103bn Budget
 
By Stephen Wandera Ouma
Kasese district local government has endorsed a Shs103 billion budget for the 2024/2025 financial year, of which the education sector took the largest share.
Mr Ham Natuhwera, the District Vice Chairperson who doubles as the Secretary for Production and Marketing, said the money to fund the budget would from the locally raised revenue of
Shs5.1 billion, central government transfers to the tune of Shs94.5 billion) and donor funding amounting to Shss3.4 billion.
The budget approved at a council sitting at Kasese Resort Hotel in Rukooki along the Kasese – Fort-portal Highway, Natuhwera said education would take 41.8 per cent, followed by health at 24 per cent, administration at 12 per cent, and roads and engineering at 3.6 per cent.
He explained the prioritization of education and health sectors as consequent to the increased development grants for the construction of Seed Secondary Schools and the elevation of Health Centre IIs to Health Centre IIIs. 

The Council Speaker, Mr Johnson Mayora however asked the councillors to approve the budget with amendments, especially with the allocation of funds in some other sectors like environment protection.
Natuhwera urged the council members to help the technical staff mobilise local revenue to meet the district target.
District Chairperson, Mr. Eliphaz Muhindi Bukombi said the central government was committed to disbursing funds to Kasese District Local Government to offer effective services to the population.
“I take this opportunity to hail President Yoweri Museveni and the central government for supporting the district and call for more support, especially with the challenge of the burst River Nyamwamba," he said.
He also revealed that the district has received more than Shs1 billion to promote and recruit new staff to fill the new urban councils created.
Mayora said the new budget is to enhance services in the district.
“We look towards uncompromised better education for our children, improve health care, more improved roads especially in the villages and also severing our farmers better,” he said.

In a heated council meeting attended by councillors from the National Resistance Movement (NRM), the ruling party, and Forum for Democratic Change (FDC), the opposition Mayora appointed a committee of six people to investigate allegations of corruption in the recruitment of civil servants by the District service commission. The move was not welcomed by the opposition claiming the matter was under investigation by police.
The committee is headed by Mr Moris Kabunzungwire, while Mr Yonasani Kisole, Mr Happy Christopher, Mr Ronald Ndyakurungi, Mr Confidence Biira, and Ms Sylvia Agaba are members.
According to Mayora, the committee will investigate the CAO's office and District Executive Committee and submit findings to the next council session. 
Mayora regretted the recent vandalization of the Kasese multipurpose hall by unknown people and directed the CAO to deploy security at the district structure.