Stanley Ebele
Kotido Municipal Council has finally laid draft budget of Shs9. 314 billion for the next financial year, three weeks after the policy deadline.
Accordance to the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development guidelines, all Local Governments are required to receive draft budget in a full council sitting by 30th of March.
However, Kotido Municipality failed to meet the deadline due to delay by the Heads of Department to furnish the planner with details of their planned activities.
Due to the mounting pressure , the heads of departments had to work tooth and nails to finilise the budget estimates of Shs9. 314 billion for the next year, which were laid before council on Wednesday.
The estimates, however, show a slight decrease from the current financial year’s budget of Shs9.4 billion
According to the estimates laid before a full emergency council, Shs433 .5 million is expected from local revenue and Shs7.6 billion under conditional government transfers while Shs1.76 billion will be from discretionary government transfers.
According the Deputy Mayor, Stella Alupo, the budget will contribute to the priority areas in Sustainable Development Goals such as eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, improved maternal health and quality education among others.
In the allocations, human capital development will get 5. 5 billion, integrated transport infrastructure is set to receive 1 billion shillings, while public sector transformation and human capital development will each receive 833 million shillings. Other sectors like, modernization of Agriculture will receive Shs231million while tourism development is allocated 288 million shillings among others.
However, according to the Deputy Speaker Kotido Municipal Council Emmanuel Lokol, the budget laid to council falls short of addressing pressing issues in the Municipality such as health and education.
