KIKUUBE, September 12, 2024 – Leaders of Kikuube District Local Government are celebrating timely budget support of Shs 540,682,896 from the central government, which has been deposited into the district’s account.
During a council meeting held last week, the Kikuube District Council approved a supplementary budget for the financial year 2024-2025, which will allow the district to effectively utilise the received funds.
Vincent Opio, the Leader of Government Business, presented the supplementary budget to the council. He detailed that the disbursed funds include Shs 349,882,869 from the Uganda Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfer Programme [UGFIT], Shs 190.8 million for the supply and installation of twenty-four microscale irrigation kits, and Shs 137,215,624 designated for the education sector.
Opio explained that in the previous financial year, Shs 137,215,624 intended for the Kyangwali Seed School construction was returned to the treasury due to delays by the contractor. He expressed relief that the funds have now been reimbursed to the district to complete the school’s construction.
He also noted that the Shs 190mln allocated for farmers’ contributions was returned to the treasury because of procurement delays.
Despite this, Opio emphasised that the Shs 540,682,896 received was not initially part of their budget, but its allocation complies with Section 25[2] of the Public Finance Management [Amendment] Act, 2015. The council approved the supplementary budget unanimously, recognizing its potential to enhance service delivery.
The Kikuube District budget for the financial year 2024-2025 stands at Shs 31.2 billion, making the additional Shs 540,682,896 a substantial boost.
Peter Banura, Kikuube District LCV Chairman, noted that the funds would benefit sectors including education, health, and water. He praised the supplementary support, especially given the recent budget reductions.
Banura also expressed concern that without the funds, the completion of Kyangwali Seed Secondary School and the fulfillment of farmers’ contributions would have been jeopardised.
Chris Nkalu, the Kikuube District Councilor for Bugambe Sub-county, emphasised that the budget support arrives at a crucial time when the district is facing financial constraints.
He continued: “This money was part of our budget from the previous financial years that we could not utilise. We appealed to the Ministry of Finance, and thankfully, the government responded positively and returned these funds. We will now use them to complete the projects that were left unfinished in the 2023-2024 financial year.”
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