SOROTI– Soroti district council has approved a budget of Shs 32.5 billion to run the district for the financial year 2022/2023, up from Shs 32 bln in the financial year 2021/2022.
In the budget, which was approved this week at the district headquarters, the education sector took a lion’s share of Shs 12.085bln with focus on infrastructure improvement, salaries, and recruitment of teachers.
Administration received Shs 7.88bln which will be spent on physical planning of the district headquarters in Katine.
While the health sector is to receive Shs 6.86bln, which will be spent on upgrading health Center IIs to Health Center IIIs status, construction of health center III in Tubur sub-county, improving maternal and newborn child and equipping health facilities to diagnose and treat diseases.
Production got Shs1.54 bln while the roads and works sector was allocated Shs 1.39bln, statutory bodies got Shs 642.3mln, as water and environment sector received Shs 547.065mln
Meanwhile, Community based services sector was given Shs 402.5mln, Shs 395,010 is allocated to finance, planning takes Shs 295.5mln, Natural resources received an allocation of Shs 287.7mln while trade and industry sector got Shs 671,12mln.
While reading the budget to the council for approval, Samuel Enangu, the LCV Vice-Chairperson who is the leader of government business, said that the revenue for the financial year by source includes among others; central government transfers, locally generated revenue, donor funds and District Discretionary Equalization Grant [DDEG].
He commended the technical staff for vetting and consolidating the budget.
Rose Tino, the chairperson works committee and female councilor for Tubur Sub-county noted that at least 188.8km of the 221.43km major district road network will be taken for mechanized maintenance.
She added the 427km of the community access road network under the jurisdiction of the lower local government will be handled under the road fund.
According to Tino, roads have a direct link with production and marketing because people need good roads to access services and transport their produce.
“The road sector is very crucial because people will have to travel to access markets for their items and also take services to whichever place they want and that needs good roads and we are sure of making that happen,” Tino said.
Jane Akiror, the assistant administrative officer said the focus for the coming 2022/2023 financial year is also to fill the staffing that stands at 57 percent across all departments.
“We are kick-starting recruitment of staff by the end of July this year and this is one of the reasons we have a budget increase from over Shs 31bln in 2021/2022 to over Shs 32bln in the 2022/2023 financial year,” Akiror explained.
She said their vision for Soroti is to have a united, transformed and prosperous people.
Akiror said that the major challenges in the district include among others; limited staff, border disputes, and charcoal burning.
The district speaker Stephen Olebe hailed members of the district council for the noble job of vetting and finally approving the budget timely and called for transparency during implementation.
Meanwhile, the council also approved an increment of their allowances as Uganda Revenue Authority has introduced a 30 percent new tax to be deducted from the allowances of the district councilors.
Currently, the councilors are getting Shs 230,000 per sitting for four council and committee sittings, however, effective July 1, 2022, they will be earning Shs 520,000.
This means that Soroti district will fork out Shs 91mln yearly to cater for the allowances of 28 councilors.
Bob, Owiny the council representing Tubur sub-county who is a member of the finance committee and mover of the motion on sitting allowances enhancement said the increment in the emolument of the councilors is not intended to affect service delivery, but rather help them to cope up with the current financial pressures.
According to him, this will also help the councilors to move to their constituencies and mobilise people to support their programs and activities they have planned to implement in the next financial year.
The increment that was presented for the first time in the National Resistance Movement [NRM] dominated district council did not even attract any criticism from councilors as their counterparts in the opposition all kept mum after the finance secretary presented the proposals.
David Agwanyi, the secretary for health and education, who seconded the increment, said members of the public should bear with the council, saying their aim was not to increase the allowances.
However, the salary increment has attracted outrage from members of the public, as the district will have to fork out Shs 91mln to cater for the monthly allowances of the 28 councilors, leave alone other expenses.
Michael Egadu, one of the residents from Aukot Sub-county is against the move by councilors to increase their allowances because it will take part of the money that was supposed to be used for service delivery.
He argues that instead of the councilors raising their allowances they should have increased the budget for community-based services from Shs 402.5mln, to over Shs 2bln.
https://thecooperator.news/omoro-district-council-approves-2022-23-budget/
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