BY EMMA ESELE
NGORA
The Ngora district Sub County Chairpersons have not been paid salaries since July 2022.
This was disclosed by Bonny Ocen, the Sub County Chairperson Agirigiroi Sub County and also chairperson Ngora district Sub County chairpersons.
Ocen was speaking at the launch of Ngora district village Savings Groups that was presided over by Ngora District Woman Member of Parliament, Stella Isodo Apolot on Saturday, 24th September 2022 at Ngora BKC Primary School.
Ocen said Ngora Sub counties used to receive over Ugx250m from the Central government to help run their daily activities but currently sub counties receive only Shs13m.
The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Matia Kassaija while reading the budget of the FY2022/2023 said 25 percent of public expenditure has been reduced to 18.9 percent due to economic difficulties.
Citing economic difficulties, the Ministry of Finance fiscal policymakers announced an unforeseen budget cut on public expenditure for the first quarter of the financial year 2022/2023 by six percent.
Now sub county chairpersons in Ngora district have attributed the poor service delivery to the budget cuts that have affected the sub counties this financial year.
Ocen said they cannot implement projects with the little money sent from central government.
“We cannot even implement one project in a financial year, we are constrained yet our people demand a lot of services and on top of that we have not received salaries since July.” He said.
Christopher Okwii, the Ngora District Speaker who is also the president of Uganda district speakers association noted that local governments need to be supported in administration since the budget cut has crippled them.
“I wrote memos concerning the sub county chairpersons and the district councilors’ emoluments being increased but the government has not considered,” Okwii noted.
Bosco Okiror, the Usuk County Member of Parliament in Katakwi district who doubles as the chairperson Teso Parliamentary group (TPG) said they are aware of the challenges lower local governments are facing currently.
“As members of parliament we are not happy with the way the budget for local governments was cut, but we shall try our level best to talk to the ministry of finance to increase the money so as to improve on the service delivery to our people,” Okiror explained.
