KIRYANDONGO, November 13, 2023 – Residents and the leaders of Kiryandongo district are excited after the engineering department completed the construction of roads worth Shs 14 billion under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development [USMID] programme.
The roads include Nanda-Para road 11.2 kilometres at a cost of she’s Shs 1.6bln, construction of a bridge along Alaro- Ongwalwo- Yabwenge road at Shs 4bln, Nyakadote- Tecwa – Kinywamaizi road at Shs 1.2bln.
According to Eng. Emmanuel Niyonzima, the acting district engineer Kiryandongo, using the same money they constructed Nyamahasa play field at Shs 1.2bln.
He said others are still under construction like Bweyale Diika 8.5 km worth Shs 149 million, Nyakarongo- Kiryandongo 17km worth Shs 282mln, and Kigumba-Mpumwe 163Km worth Shs 163mln.
Niyonzima added that through USMID programme, they have been able to build new roads and rehabilitate the old ones.
Jennifer Atimango, the councillor representing Nyamahasa Sub-county LCV councillor, said the roads play a significant role in improving people’s livelihoods since they connect people to markets, schools, health centres, and others.
“We are grateful to government for enabling us to benefit from USMID programme. We had struggled with impassable roads for long,” Atimango told theCooperator.
Akello Betty, a resident of Nyamahasa village said farmers will now get better prices for their produce since the road network has been improved.
The LCV chairperson Kiryandongo district, Edith Aliguma commended government USMID project, saying the district has meagre resources to build roads on its own.
Delivering her keynote address during the district budget conference days ago, Elizabeth Adongo the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Kiryandongo district noted that they expect to run a Shs 43.4bln in the financial year 2024/2025.
According to Adongo, they expect Shs 40.3bln from central government transfer, Shs 1.6bln from local revenue and donations worth Shs 1.5bln.
Adong explained that education will take the lion’s share of Shs 14bln, health Shs 10bln, community based services Shs13bln, lower local governments Shs 1.4bln, administration Shs 3.3bln, production Shs 1.2bln, works and technical services Shs 2bln and trade and industry Shs 6bln among others.
She also noted the district was grappling with challenges like return of unabsorbed funds to the Consolidated Fund, low local revenue base, late release of pension and gratuity funds, and lack of critical staff in some of the district departments.
The district planner, Julius Balikagira said the the budget for the financial year 2023/2024 is Shs 53bln while that for the financial 2024/2025 is to drop to 43.4bln because the district will not get funding from USMID programme while the funds from Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project [DRDIP] will be cut from Shs 13bln to Shs 6bln.
He said in the next financial year they would concentrate on five sectors including roads and water, education, community based services, production and health.
https://thecooperator.news/investors-decry-dire-state-of-roads-in-amuru/
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