By Steven Enatu
KAPELEBYONG
The newly created administrative units in Kaberamaido District are grappling to offer services to their communities because of meager funding.
Kaberamaido had three new administrative units that became effective in July 2021. They include Oriamo, Okile Sub Counties and Ochero Town council.
Patrick Epilu, the local council three Chairperson Oriamo Sub County said that they are battling with a serious funding gap to run the activities of the sub county whose populace highly need services but have not felt the relevance of decentralization.
Oriamo was carved out of Alwa Sub County and has the biggest population but only depends on local revenue from one market whose collection is first sent to the mother sub county account.
Epilu noted that the Sub County has not opened any account yet and this makes it very hard to plan and execute tasks as an independent sub county.
“We collect very low revenue then bank in the mother sub county account, by the time we want to use it, we only get 65% of it there,” he said.
He said that the sub county is in dire need for social services like health center three but their hands are tied to even plan with very poor access road networks.
Some villages like Akani are still having its populace drawing water from a well due to lack of borehole/clean water.
Epilu noted that the area has only one borehole in Omarai Primary school that serves three villages and is shared by over 1500 animals.
The sub county has a Health Unit currently working to offer medical services to the community with 4 staff, two are under the mother sub county, Alwa.
Victor Rex Ekesu, Local council five chairperson Kaberamaido acknowledged the funding gap saying that the new administrative units are really staggering but assured that the Ministry has released funding under supplementary budget for the new administrative units.
He said that Shs31million has been released for the new sub counties and Shs50million for the town council only waiting for permission to.
Ekesu noted that the new administrative units shall be allowed to have their Independent accounts to enable them plan independently and draw their budgets. He acknowledged that the current arrangement of sharing the account slows the progress of the new administrative units’ priorities.
