Mbale Municipality seeks extra Shs3b
Facelift. A section of Mbale Town. Area leaders say the Finance ministry has not allocated them enough money to run the municipality this financial year. FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- Mbale is one of the towns that were recently elevated to city status. It will become operational effective July 1, 2020. Other approved cities are Arua, Gulu, Jinja, Fort Portal, Mbarara and Masaka.
Mbale Municipal Council has approved a Shs3 billion supplementary budget from the ministry of Finance to cater for unfunded priorities.
The ministry reportedly approved only Shs1.2 billion of the required Shs4.3 billion as per the council’s budget estimates for Financial Year 2019/2020.
While approving a supplementary request at the municipal chambers last Friday, the councillors said the Shs1.2 billion is too little to sustain the municipality’s operations in a financial year.
The mayor, Mr Mutwalibi Zandya Mafabi, said their work plans are at a standstill because of limited funding.
Mr Zandya said the most hit sectors are education, health and social services.
“Everything has been paralysed and that is why we are appealing to the ministry to approve our supplementary budget,” he says.
The municipal public relations officer, Mr James Kutosi, said due to the financial crisis, the councillors have also gone for three months without getting their allowances.
“Once the supplementary budget is approved, our work will move on very well and the committees will work effectively,” he said.
Mr Micheal Masaba Nandala, the municipal speaker, said they made the supplementary request on the advice of the ministry of Finance.
“We forwarded our complaint and the ministry officials told us to make a supplementary budget, which have done. We only ask them to quicken the process,” he said.
However, Mr Kasimu Madagi, the male youth councillor, said he will petition the ministry, arguing that the municipal council flouted the procedures while approving the supplementary budget.
“The committees had not sat to discuss the supplementary budget. It was our first time to hear about it and they approved it. It had to go through standing committees for verification and approval,” he said.
State minister for Environment Mary Goretti Kitutu, while addressing the councillors, advised them to invest in tourism to increase the revenue base. “You should tap into Mt Elgon tourism potential. We can market our kadodi dance, waterfalls and caves surrounding Wanale ridges to boost our revenue,” she said.
