Gulu officials in conflict with boda boda operators over Shs 1.5bln
GULU-Gulu district local government and boda boda associations are involved in a dispute in which the latter has declined to remit Shs 1.584 billion in fees.
The district with 11 sub-counties has more 450 boda boda operators, each expected to pay a market due of Shs 1,000 to association to be remitted to thedistrict.
The boda boda operators under associations are also supposed to pay loading fees and user fees.
However, the boda boda associations in the district have declined to cooperate with the district revenue enforcement team and instead established a parallel body for revenue collection to finance their operations.
Gulu district vice chairperson Vicky Atim noted that practice is defrauding the district of its revenue.
The Ministry of Local Government recently introduced the Integrated Revenue Administration [IRAS], a new revenue collection strategy to address the gaps that exist in revenue collections.
Michael Komakech, the councillor representing Palaro Sub-county and is the chairperson of the boda boda association says they are yet to resolve the matter with Gulu district officials.
Komakech noted that the group had positioned themselves on every road in the district mounting illegal roadblocks for collection of market dues which include road users’ fees and loading fee from the cyclists.
A similar development was also protested by the boda boda associations in the City as Council directed the divisions to register all boda-boda operators in their respective areas and generate revenue from.
Meanwhile, each registered boda-boda operator was to pay Gulu city council an annual subscription fee of Shs 48,000, but the boda-boda operators say they cannot afford the fees.
The city has more than 11,000 boda-bodas operating at 422 stages but only 2,174 of the 6,000 operators in Western division were registered and less than 1,000 registered in the Eastern Division
Gulu district local government approved a budget of Shs 32.9 billion for the current financial year, with the education sector taking a lion’s share of the total budget.
The district in the next financial year expects to collect local revenue of Shs 826mln, conditional grant of Shs 24.5bln and external funding of Shs 2.5bln.
The district has prioritised education, which was allocated Shs 14.6 bln, health Shs 6bln, production and marketing Shs 1.9bln, agro industrialization Shs 1.8 bln and council businesses at Shs 625mln.
https://thecooperator.news/nabbanja-grills-kcca-officials-over-slow-registration-of-boda-bodas/
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