MBARARA – Mbarara City Mayor Robert Mugabe Kakyebezi has presented Shs 40.2 billion budget for the financial year 2022/23, saying it has grown by 20 percent.
According to Kakyebezi, Mbarara city’s resource envelope comprises locally raised revenues of Shs 9.1bln, discretionary government transfers of Shs 8.7bln, conditional government transfers of Shs 21bln, and other government transfers of Shs 1.2bln.
“In the financial year 2020/21, Mbarara City collected locally raised revenue of Shs 3.4bln, an improvement from Shs 2.9bn collected in the financial year 2019/20. The city planned to collect Shs 9.1bln in the current financial year.
However, the upcoming budget puts emphasis on health, education, and agriculture. Roads and engineering was allocated Shs 7.1bln despite more infrastructural developments taking shape in the new city under Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development [USMID] programme.
The education sector was allocated Shs 15.4 bln, natural resource management Shs 8.8mln, trade industry and local economic development Shs 4.4bln, health Shs 3.3bln, agricultural extension services Shs 548mln and local government community-based services Shs 289mln among others.
The city’s councilors approved the budget and pledged to discuss it in case of further amendments.
“Members analysed the presented draft budget and observed that this year’s budget would have been high than the estimated locally raised revenue of Shs 9.1bln due to either untapped or under-declared revenue sources” chairperson multipurpose committee Eunice Asiimwe explained.
Mayor Kakyebezi said the city leadership has already collected over Shs 3.8bln local revenue.
“As a city, we still believe that our potential is close to Shs 10bln and we are working towards achieving this. In this running budget, we budgeted for local revenue of Shs 9.1bln and we have so far collected Shs 3.8bln. There is a difference of Shs 5.3bln,” he said.
“With a specific focus on digitisation of revenue services through Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS) in line with NDP III program (Digital Transformation), the city has tasted an improvement in the fully digitized revenue sources of business license, land fees, building plan fees, and other one time payments, Kakyebezi added.
Kakyebezi said, “We budgeted for Shs 52bln both local and money from the centre but we have only received Shs 51.3bln there is a difference of Shs 897mln.”
However, the mayor said that the revenue collection system in the city is still challenged by low staff capacity, lack of dedicated transport for the revenue collection teams, integrity issues like corruption, and national policy among others.
“In order to harness our true revenue potential, we plan to recruit able revenue collection staff in our anticipated recruitment exercise to enable the city to have its own capacity and to reduce the dependence on external contractors,” Kakyebezi said.
Also with the creation of new cities, Mbarara was recommended to constitute a new salary structure that was approved by the cabinet and brought down to the council for customisation.
“City council staff structure was approved and implementation shall commence with staff in post and filling of vacant positions before the close of this financial year,” said Kakyebezi
“The total cost of the establishment approved and signed by Patrick Muhereza, public service ministry permanent secretary is Shs 3.8bln to cater for career progression of staff structure and to cater for critical needs of Mbarara city.”
Out of Shs 3.8bln the city headquarters will spend Shs 1.6bln while Shs 2.1bln on South and North city divisions.
Muhammad Byansi, councilor representing Kakoba Division appealed to the Local Government Ministry to advertise for new technocrats ready to pursue duties in the new city.
“The city leadership should think of making fresh advertisements such that we get people who are willing to work because all we have are now tired and they only come to offices to get bribes,” he said.
“We added them more money and are happy with the new pay but they don’t want to work they just report to offices at any time they want,” Muhammad added.
https://thecooperator.news/omoro-district-council-approves-2022-23-budget/
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