Kasese seeks Shs5b to complete administration block

Kasese Municipality is urgently seeking Shs5 billion to facilitate the completion of construction works on the Kasese Municipal Council administration block.

Construction of the building began in 2017 but has been hampered by funding constraints.

Mr Zedekia Kambasu Kayiiri, the deputy town clerk of Kasese Municipal Council, said the initial budget for the administration block was Shs2.5 billion.

 However, the construction commenced with only Shs500 million, which was part of the royalties remitted to the municipal council by the now-defunct Kasese Cobalt Company Limited (KCCL).

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on local revenue collections and the cessation of royalties from KCCL, the council faced financial challenges. Despite this, they managed to invest approximately Shs1.2 billion in construction since 2017.

Mr Kayiiri said the increase in commodity prices globally led to a significant rise in the cost of construction, estimating that it would now require Shs6.5 billion to complete the administration block.

He said the design has been revised to incorporate additional features with the aim of creating an energy-efficient building with improved infrastructure.

“We started on an ambitious project to erect an administration block using our local revenue. With Covid-19 coming in shortly thereafter and the dwindling local revenue collections, we have not managed to do large-scale works on that building,” Mr Kayiiri said.

One of the contributing factors to the decline in local revenue collections was the presidential directive in 2017, which stopped the collection of taxes from taxi drivers.

Additionally, the construction of Kasese Central Market under the Markets and Trade Improvement Project (MATIP) further disrupted businesses and affected tax collections. Consequently, the local revenue collection for Kasese Municipal Council decreased from Shs1.3 billion in 2016/2017 to about Shs650 million in 2017/2018.

“The change in figures is because of the changes in commodity prices. A tonne of stones, sand, and cement is buying about twice its price then. That said, as technology changes, we are also making adjustments; we have changed certain things to make it an energy-efficient building,” Mr Kayiiri said.

“You can’t say you’re staying in a public office if you can’t access the internet. The infrastructure for some of those things wasn’t captured in the initial budget and that is why the budget has shot up,” he added.

Mr Kayiiri appealed to the government and other stakeholders for support in completing the two-floor administration block, which is designed to accommodate all technical and political staff.

The current building is overcrowded, with multiple municipal council officials sharing small offices meant for individual use.

The completion of the administration block has been longstanding need since the town was elevated to municipality status in 2010.

The lack of adequate office space has been a significant challenge, affecting the efficiency and productivity of municipal council operations.

With the financial assistance sought, Kasese Municipal Council aims to realise its full potential and create a conducive environment for its workforce.

The completed administration block will house various offices including the resident district commissioner, deputies, the district internal security officer, and Ngeya Radio.