Mugabe R
The Southern Division in Rukungiri Municipality faced a budget deficit of 48,070,000/= in the 2023/2024 fiscal year due to quarantine issues at the Nyamayenje livestock market. During the council session on Tuesday, May 15th, 2024, it was decided to address this by reducing Nyamayenje stock market dues by 43,070,000/= and reallocating 5,000,000/= from property sale dues, resulting in a total reduction of 48,070,000/= from the initial budget estimate, bringing it down to 360,503,044/=.
Originally, the budget anticipated 309,778,543/= from local revenue and 50,724,543/= from the Central government grant. However, only 208,476,438/= was realized from local revenue, while the Central government grant was fully covered.
This shortfall impacted service delivery across various sectors: administration lost 9 million, Finance suffered a reduction of 34,700,000/=, works faced a shortfall of 2,070,000/=, Health saw a decrease of 2 million, and Community services were reduced by 300,000/=.
Augustine Bagorogoza, the Sub Accountant of Western Division, presented the reduction calculations and urged Councilors to remain composed in light of adjusted project priorities.
Paul Beyongyera, Councilor of Kanyinya Ward, expressed concern over the perceived lack of performance in the Southern Division, highlighting issues such as poorly maintained roads despite budget approvals, and the substandard quality of those that are maintained.
Kapesha Johnson, the District Councilor representing Southern Division and also the District Works Chairperson, echoed these concerns, particularly regarding the subpar work on the Marumba-Nyakibale Road, and criticized responsible officials for turning a blind eye to the situation.
