Ibanda district will prioritise education and health next financial year (2024/2025).

Pensioners are also expected to be big beneficiaries as the district plans to more than triple the money for pension payouts. 

According to the budget proposal laid before the district council on March 28, 2024, by finance secretary John Kapimpi Tushemerirwe, the district plans to spend shillings 38.975 billion during the 2024/2025 FY compared to shillings 26.73 billion this fiscal year.

"The budget seeks to provide and protect funding for roads, skilling programmes, agriculture, entrepreneurship and access to water," a district official said.

The central government is expected to foot the biggest part of the budget with the district contributing only 3% from locally generated revenues and 1.5% will come from donors.

The indicative and planning estimates show that shillings 20.966 billion of this money will be for salaries of government workers, an increase from shillings 17.68 billion this year.

It is good news for pensioners in the district as pension for former local government workers will more than triple to shillings 2.471 billion, up from just over shillings 785.27 million, while gratuity for next fiscal year is planned at shillings 794.3 million.

Relatedly, the water sector also got a small boost and will receive shillings 743.9 million next year, higher than shillings 674.55 million in the 2023/2024 fiscal year.

The district plans to spend about shillings 467.8 million on microscale irrigation as part of efforts to increase the total irrigated area countrywide.

Meanwhile, the education sector will receive shillings 7.581 billion, a big cut from shillings 13.189 billion this year; health is expected to get shilling 2.257 billion next financial year compared to shillings 5.167 billion this year. 

The budget for the works department was also cut to shillings 1.031 billion, down from shillings 1.171 billion, while the district's natural resources and environment has had its budget reduced to nearly shillings 40.5 million, a huge cut from 283.8 million this year.

Councilors speak out

District finance committee chairperson Juliet Agaba said there was a need to improve local revenue generation. 

"That is why the committee wants facilitation to carry out monitoring and sensitising drives so that residents understand the importance of paying taxes," she said.

She added that monitoring will help to ensure loopholes in tax administration are reduced to boost collections.

Robert Musiiba Besiima, another councillor, said focusing on agriculture was key as the sector is the mainstay of the district. 

He added that the adoption of irrigation and farmer training were essential to increase output and boost household income.

Godfrey Kamagara said upgrading of health centres will ease access to health services and reduce the disease burden and hence support production.