Budaka Councillors refuse to approve Shs 30.2b Budget citing that some things were ‘smuggled in’

Budaka District Councillors have refused to approve the 2022/2023 financial year budget citing several anomalies which they urged that they cannot proceed to approve.

The irritated councillors caused a stampede today morning at the district headquarters as they refused to enter the council chambers and decided to deliberate under a Mivule tree demanding for an explanation to some of the key issues noted in the budget.

The councillors allege that some of the items in the budget were smuggled to fulfil the interest of the chairperson.

Humprey Ikendeza, the councillor representing people with disabilities [PWDs] said that their concern was the budget documents were delivered to them late prior to the meeting while others got just this morning and that they had not internalized properly the document.

“It is clearly stipulated that such council documents are supposed to be delivered to them seven [7] working days before the council to enable them internalized but for this cause it was contrary only to be delivered a day before council while other got it in the morning’’. This is just to undermine councillors”  Ikendezia said

The councillors also raised concern that the budget was unbalanced in the sense that all the recommendations that were made in various committees were not reflected in the final budget.

“Can we think that our efforts to discuss and come up with committee recommendations was a waste of time because these were the pertinent issues that concern our people who gave us the mandate but to our surprise are nowhere in the budget” Ikendeza explained.

Adding that “We are totally committed to approving the budget but on conditions that these concerns noted are addressed. This kind of behaviour to interchange what was agreed in committee was totally outrageous and uncalled for”.

The Councilors observed that the continued budgeting allocation for funds towards the construction of the administration block without phases is a project for some people to siphon taxpayers' funds.

“We shall not continue allocating funds to this project and yet councillors are not fully furnished with clear information because every time when councillors demand to know the projected total amount it remains unclear” the councillors vowed.

Faith Tino, a female councillor representing PWDs said that people should understand their concerns and not think that they were voted into those offices purposely to cause fights and conflicts in the district.

“We are fighting for the common person who gave us the mandate because if the committee recommendations were made and are not reflected in the budget, then the communities will instead turn the guns on us,"Tino said.

30 out of 40 councillors unanimously signed not to pass out the budget and remained seated under the Mivule tree hoping that the LC5 –Mr Emmanuel Pajje or the accounting officer [CAO]-Mr Elly P’wang could possibly meet them and address their differences but none appeared by press time.

Koluwo Tasumba, a female councillor representing the Kakoli sub-county said that the executive and the technical staff should work together with the councillors than create a rift.

“These councillors have concerns but it's unfortunate and regrettable that none of the concerned officers has bothered to listen to them, instead they are trying to intimidate us that we shall not be paid our emoluments for the whole financial year. This is not the way to go” Tasumba said.

Adding that “We have been abandoned here under this tree and we are like total orphans. The district chairperson should think twice because we need each other. We are all servants of the people. It's like a family, when children quarrel the parent has come out and listens to them but for this case, the chairperson has done the contrary”.

Emmanuel Sodyo, councillor representing Kadimukoli sub-county said the concern of the councillors is not to refuse to approve the budget but development projects should be spread to other sub-counties because there are sub-counties which are likely not to benefit from this budget.

"Some of the sub-counties include Katira, Kameruka, Mugiti, Kakoli, and Iki-Iki.  This is a general concern from councillors that each and every sub-county should be catered to in this budget. This district is moving in the wrong direction,” he said

Sophie Kyomugisha, councillor representing Budaka town council said that councillors have come together for a common cause not to fight the chairperson but certain issues must be corrected, which councillors think are not moving well.

“We need value for money because cases of shoddy work and poor road network is a common practice here in Budaka. We shall request the department of production to budget for banana suckers and then we plant on these poor roads” she said.

Anthony Kateu, councillor representing Iki-Iki observed in the previous financial year 2021/2022 the council appropriated shs 400 million and wondered how that huge money could just roof the administration block.

“We have taken the trouble to demand for how many phases this administrative block will take us to complete but none of them is committed but only continue budgeting for them same with no clear accountabilities. Even if we totally stupid, this council can not just approve this money like that” Kateu said.

Nile post looked at the budget, of which the council was meant to approve Shs 30.2bn, of which health sector took Shs 4.8bn, Education Shs 15.9bn, Production Shs 1.2bn, Natural resources Shs 155million roads shs 700 million.

However, the Budaka LC5 chairman, Emmanuel Pajje, told the Nile post that the budget is a process, in which councillors and other stakeholders participated.

He explained that districts get circular [budget framework paper]-then the lower governments come up with budget conference

“The draft budget was presented to council and they are all aware of the procedure which is clear that the draft budget goes back to sector committee for scrutinizing and which was done. Whatever, was captured remained the same and there was no alteration as councillors may think, "Pajje said

He explained that there are people who think this council will solve their problems which is not true.

“There are people who are fronting their personal interests than people’s interests. this kind of method is ironical” Pajje said.

“I could not be so stupid to meet councillors who failed to understand their own budget document. I don’t need to interpret for them issues they themselves participated in. I am not of that person” Pajje explained.

"The rules are clear that in case the council refuses to approve the budget the discretion remains with the accounting officer and the district chairperson. “This implies all-district planned activities will go ahead but time will come when they will regret it,” he said.

Observers said that this could be the first of its kind in Budaka district, and possibly second to Rukungiri where councillors out rightly refused to pass the budget

Pajje further explained that the budget only prioritizes based on the needs assessment.

“It high time to sort out these issues and we serve the interest of the people of Budaka than waging an ending conflicts for personal interests,” he said

The Shs 400million that was appropriated by the council was used for casting, blocking and roofing and so far the district has spent more than Shs 1.1bn out of the planned cost of Shs 2.1bn towards the completion of the administrative block