Tororo councilors storm district headquarters over unremitted local revenue
Led by Sub County Speaker Nathan Orokojo, Vice Chairperson Boniface Outa, and Secretary for Production and Investment Andrew Opio, the councilors camped at the district offices demanding an audience with the LC5 Chairperson.
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Led by Sub County Speaker Nathan Orokojo, Vice Chairperson Boniface Outa, and Secretary for Production and Investment Andrew Opio, the councilors camped at the district offices demanding an audience with the LC5 Chairperson
More than 20 councilors from Kayoro Sub County in Tororo District on Monday stormed the district headquarters in protest over the non-remittance of local revenue collected through the Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS).
Led by Sub County Speaker Nathan Orokojo, Vice Chairperson Boniface Outa, and Secretary for Production and Investment Andrew Opio, the councilors camped at the district offices demanding an audience with the LC5 Chairperson. Their goal was to push the district leadership to compel the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) to expedite the release of funds meant for local service delivery.
Mr Outa told Daily Monitor that they chose to take their grievances directly to the district without a prior appointment due to the persistent delays, which he said are crippling service delivery.
“Our approved budget for FY2024/2025 stands at over Shs600 million, with expectations that 50 percent would be generated locally through property taxes,” he said. “Unfortunately, most of the major revenue sources have not responded.”
According to Outa, the sub county has failed to collect significant sums from major taxpayers including DongSong Group of Companies (Shs350 million), Electromax (Shs165 million), Tororo Solar North (Shs7 million), and China Railway Uganda (Shs6 million). He said the lack of revenue has left the council unable to meet basic service delivery needs.
“As a local government, we have issued several reminders in vain,” Outa said. “That is why we resorted to this action, to prompt the district chairperson to intervene.”
Secretary for Production and Investment, Mr Andrew Opio, said the sub county initially embraced the IRAS system in hopes that it would seal revenue leakages. However, he lamented that despite improved collection mechanisms, the funds are not being remitted to the sub county to support operations.
“We are now unable to pay support staff, including cleaners and askaris. Most of our council resolutions remain unimplemented due to lack of funding,” he said. “There’s growing suspicion that some technical officers may be discouraging taxpayers from fulfilling their obligations.”
The sub county’s unfunded priorities include procurement of desks, road opening, culvert installation, and farmer training on best agricultural practices.
Sub County Chief Mr Christopher Okengere denied claims that the technical team was sabotaging tax collection, noting that with IRAS, there is no direct handling of cash.
District LC5 Vice Chairperson and Secretary for Finance and Administration, Ms Rebecca Akumu, commended the councilors for expressing their grievances. She confirmed that the CAO’s office has already reached out to the concerned taxpayers and scheduled a meeting.
“It’s unfortunate that some of our taxpayers are not law-abiding,” Ms Akumu said. “We are engaging them to help them appreciate the importance of paying taxes.”
