As the Ministry of Finance conducts regional budget conferences, local government leaders have raised concern over delays in release of funds and budget cuts.
These say the vice has seen some districts failing to implement some activities due to late release of funds. Paul Komol Lote, the LC5 chairman for Kotido District while speaking during the regional conference held in Lira City said the vice is compromising the quality services
“It is frustrating service delivery. A request can be made on the system and the people in Kampala who are supposed to approve the request takes their own time. Some requests take two to three months and this is frustrating us,” says Lote.
The local leaders also expressed mixed reaction to the current ban on recruitment of civil servants, which they say is affecting different departments in the districts. For instance, in Kotido District, Lote said health facilities are currently struggling with staffing gaps.
“If we don’t recruit staff at Kotido regional Hospital it means we are just preparing to send them to the graves. There must be staff for it to operate as a hospital,” Lote said.
The leaders from selected districts in Teso, Lango, Acholi, and Karamoja raised concerns saying the late release of funds has seen some lower local governments send back to the national treasury funds meant for service delivery in the district.
In some instances, Albert Elalu, the district planner for Kaberamaido District said the budget cuts are announced when the districts are in final stages of implementing projects.
Alex Ogwal, the district chairperson for Kwania expressed concern that some districts might fail to spend the Shs1billion currently being given to the districts for road works.
For his part, Tagoole Ali, assistant commissioner at the Ministry of Financed, Planning and Economic Development explained that some local governments overestimate projections against local revenue being collected.
“There are two cases which are normally delayed. There are local governments that submits a projection of Shs50million and after six months they collect the Shs50million while others collect only Shs30million,” Tagoole said during the budget conference.