Simpson M
The Rukungiri municipality council has officially approved the budget estimates for the 2024/2025 financial year, totaling 13,486,000,000 UGX (Thirteen billion, four hundred eighty-six million Ugandan Shillings).
The budget was presented by Fred Besigye, the secretary of finance, planning, and administration for Rukungiri municipal council, during a session held at New Palm Royale in Rukungiri.
Deputy Town Clerk of Rukungiri municipality, Mr. Prosper Tagobya, highlighted that the budget reflects the municipality’s commitment to prioritizing key programs and delivering services to its people. Out of the total budget, 1,214,000,000 UGX will be generated from local revenues, with the remainder coming from central government funding, constituting 9% of the total budget.
The budget places significant emphasis on preparations for National Plan IV, implementing effective monitoring mechanisms involving both technical and political bodies, securing additional government funding for the construction of an administration block, road rehabilitation within the municipality, and other developmental projects.
Mr. Prosper also announced that the management of revenues from the mast has been officially handed over to the Eastern division for collection.
However, during the same council meeting, several councilors, led by Innocent Rubarondesa representing Kinyasano and Kijukuru Vian representing Kitimba ward, expressed dissatisfaction with certain resolutions passed by the council.
They voiced their discontent with the treatment they received from the speaker regarding their committee’s report, which was presented during the session. Following complaints of funds mismanagement in the municipality’s engineering office, the council established a monitoring committee chaired by Rubarondesa Innocent to oversee municipal works and financial expenditure. However, they lamented that the report presented by their committee was not taken seriously, with the speaker referring it back to the works committee, undermining their role.
Additionally, they raised concerns about the allocation of funds for certain projects, citing instances where the quality of work did not justify the allocated budget. For example, they highlighted the construction of the administration block, where 100 million UGX was spent on the first floor alone, a cost they deemed excessive.
They also pointed out discrepancies in the cost of road construction, stating that the municipality claimed to have constructed a 3-kilometer road at 93 million UGX, far exceeding the Ministry of Works’ standard estimate of 3.5 to 4 million UGX per kilometer, indicating financial mismanagement within the municipality.
