GULU– Gulu City Council has approved a budget of Shs 48.7 billion for the financial year 2022/2023, with Shs 24.6bln or 50.6 percent of the total budget going to the construction of roads.
The budget was passed on Tuesday night due to a delay caused by the councilors who were demanding an increment in their allowances before they could approve the budget.
Earlier on Monday, the Speaker of the Council, Joyce Alima was forced to prematurely adjourn the house three consecutive times as councilors moved out of the hall in protest, calling for an increment in their allowances.
The House was constituted again on Tuesday at 2:15 Pm after technocrats held a series of closed-door meetings with the councilors outside the city council office premises.
As the House resumed, the councilor representing Bardege-Layibi South Constituency, David Onencan moved a motion for the increment of the councilors’ allowances from Shs 1.5mln previously to Shs 1.7mln.
The motion was supported by the city’s Major Alfred Okwonga, saying the revenue base of the city has grown and that the councilors deserve better welfare, which will be 20 percent of the revenue collections.
In support of her councilors, Speaker Alima noted that the revenue performance of the city has remarkably improved from merely Shs 2bln to Shs 3.2bln, which she said should improve the welfare of councilors.
Alima explained that the Local Government Act gives back 20 percent of the revenues collected for councilors’ sitting allowances.
“I don’t know why many of the technocrats would want councilors to work for free yet the majority of them have resigned from public offices and only survive on the council,” Alima said.
Meanwhile, besides huge allocation for work construction, education was allocated Shs 13.2 bln, administration Shs 4.3 bln, health Shs 2.2 bln, finance Shs 374mln, and community-based services with Shs 485mln.
Statutory body Shs 912mln, planning department Shs 387mln, production, and marketing at Shs 810mln, natural resources Shs 390mln while internal audit being allocated Shs 112mln.
The sources of funds in the budget include projected local revenue of Shs 5.5bln and Shs 43.2bln from the central government.
The councilor representing Laroo-Pece Division Andrew Ogweta Otto called for the collection of revenues from hotels, bars, and lodges. The revenue collection in these facilities was suspended due to Covid 19 pandemic that hit the country for two years.
https://thecooperator.news/kikuube-district-councilors-pass-shs-39-5bln-budget/
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