Rukungiri District Local Government has approved a Shs69.1 billion budget for the 2026/2027 financial year, up from Shs62.4 billion, with officials attributing the 11 percent increase to new irrigation funding under the water sector and expanded allocations to education.
District leaders say the increment comes at a critical time when demand for social services, particularly education and health, continues to rise across the district’s 16 lower local governments, including town councils and sub-counties.
Gideon Ntungura, the Secretary for Finance, Planning and Administration, said the boost is largely driven by new financing opportunities, especially under irrigation schemes that require co-funding.
“We passed a budget for the 2026/2027 financial year of over Shs69 billion compared to Shs62 billion for the current financial year, getting an increment of 11 percent,” Ntungura said.
“This increment was brought by the money we are going to receive to fund irrigation schemes under the water sector. There is a new programme where government will fund 75 percent of the project while farmers contribute 25 percent.”
Education takes the largest share of the budget, with Shs36 billion allocated to address staffing gaps, classroom construction, and maintenance.
“Much of this money will be spent in the education department. We have many issues including staff salaries, construction and completion of classrooms, and school maintenance,” Ntungura noted.
The health sector will receive Shs9 billion, while production and marketing are allocated Shs4 billion to support livelihoods and agricultural productivity.
Despite the increase, officials acknowledged that the district remains heavily reliant on central government transfers and donor funding, which account for nearly the entire budget.
“Much of this money is brought from the central government. Our local revenue is very low, we couldn’t manage this budget without central government grants,” Ntungura said.
Out of the total budget, the district expects to generate about Shs1.56 billion in local revenue, a figure leaders described as insufficient.
“The previous budget was not enough. Most of the planned activities were not completed, and others were not worked on at all,” he added.
Chief Administrative Officer Fredrick Byekwaso expressed optimism that the enhanced budget will improve service delivery, particularly in education infrastructure.
“We approved a Shs69.1 billion budget, up from Shs62.4 billion. We are very grateful that this budget has been enhanced, and this should be reflected in service delivery,” Byekwaso said.
He revealed that the district has stepped up efforts to improve local revenue collection, increasing projections from Shs1.2 billion to Shs1.5 billion.
Byekwaso also highlighted key infrastructure investments, including Shs200 million allocated to Bikurungu Centenary School and Shs150 million to Omuburama.
“We have increased funding for facilities because of the rising enrolment. Classrooms and latrines are going to be expanded to match the growing numbers,” he said.
District officials say the focus now shifts to implementation and monitoring to ensure the increased funding translates into improved schools, better health services, and enhanced agricultural productivity.
