Mukono district faces sh6bn budget penalty

Mukono district is facing a 30 percent penalty on conditional grant releases from Ministry of Finance over the delay to pass the budget for the 2016/2017 financial year.

The delay has been caused by wrangles amongst the district leaders.

The proposed Mukono district budget that stands at sh33b will attract a penalty of sh6b if it is not passed by May 31.

But incoming Mukono district chairman, Andrew Senyonga blamed the delay to pass the budget on his predecessor, Francis Lukooya Mukoome.

Senyonga said that Lukooya and his team wanted his (Senyonga's) council to miss the deadline for passing the budget and face the penalty which would leave the incoming team with a bad image.  

He said that instead of ensuring that the budget was passed on time, Lukooya was busy in big land deals at the district which had even seen him constitute a new district land board.

"But we shall hold an emergency meeting next week to pass the budget. I am only concerned that the content in the budget we are passing has been dictated by the outgoing team and many of the programmes included are not in our favour," Senyonga said.

However, Musa Kiggundu the district deputy chairperson said Senyonga must be held liable for the outgoing council's failure to pass the budget on time.

"Senyonga himself mobilized hooligans who invaded the council meeting which was intended to pass the budget. We had no option but to quit as the mob had turned rowdy," he said.    

Outgoing Mukono District Speaker, James Kunobwa also told New Vision that there is still room for the council to pass the budget before the May 31st deadline.