Local govts urged to build their own financial muscle
Kumumanya’s message was delivered by Onesmus Mulondo, finance programme management specialist for local government public finance management reforms, during a leadership training session in Masaka city on Monday (September 28).
Masaka local government leaders pose for a photo after a leadership training session in Masaka city. (Courtesy photo)
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The permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Ben Kumumanya, has urged political and technical leaders to build financially independent and resilient local governments capable of transforming the lives of Ugandans.
Kumumanya’s message was delivered by Onesmus Mulondo, finance programme management specialist for local government public finance management reforms, during a leadership training session in Masaka city on Monday (September 28).
Kumumanya emphasised that fiscal decentralisation was never designed to make local governments permanently dependent on the central government.
"It was intended to empower you to drive local economic development using local resources," he said. "With growing public demands for better roads, clean water, education, and improved healthcare, we must generate our own resources to meet these expectations."
Instead, he urged them to adopt proactive wealth-creation strategies, including mapping property valuations, exploring local tourism potential, formalising public markets and leveraging public-private partnerships (PPPs) to build commercial assets.
"Revenue collection should be data-driven," Kumumanya stated, encouraging comprehensive taxpayer registration and regular updates to the revenue register. "It is not possible to collect taxes from taxpayers you do not know."
He also tasked technical officers with fostering accountability and building taxpayer confidence, noting that citizens are far more likely to pay taxes when they see tangible value in continuous sensitisation and improved local service delivery.
"We will no longer tolerate passive leaders who watch local revenue decline while blaming the centre for budget cuts," he asserted.
The message was delivered at a five-day training workshop facilitated by revenue consultant Patrick Kandole at Hotel Brovad in Masaka city.
By the end of the session, participants are expected to develop local revenue profiles detailing sources, trends, gaps and potential. They will also draft annual revenue targets, realistic projections, strategic action plans, and robust monitoring, evaluation and reporting frameworks, culminating in a validated draft Revenue Enhancement Plan (REP).
The workshop is part of a broader Ministry of Local Government (MOLG) initiative to strengthen fiscal sustainability and accountability. The initiative is also designed to support the implementation of the Local Government Revenue Mobilisation Strategy (LG-RMS).
Similar regional training workshops are scheduled to be held in Lira, Moroto, Mbale and Mbarara.