CSOs launch budget consultation meetings

By Cecilia Okoth

CIVIL Society Organisations have launched nationwide consultative meetings on what budget needs they want for the national budget for the year 2016/17.

They say the consultations scheduled to take place in August, are meant to generate citizens' input for inclusion in the 2016/17 budget and also provide space for citizens to debate and interrogate the budget implementation challenges.

"We have observed that the lack of information among citizens on when budget consultations are taking place, limited stakeholder understanding of the planning, budgeting systems at the local government level and increased apathy among the communities greatly affected citizens' effective participation in the budget process," said Julius Mukunda the Coordinator Civil Society Advocacy Group.

Mukunda who was addressing journalists at their offices in Kampala on Wednesday said the lack of stakeholder participation in the planning and budget process has constrained the promotion of effective, responsive and responsible budgets that address citizens' needs.

"We are convinced that building a citizenry that is well informed about the budget and public expenditure is the foundation for better budget performance and a pre-requisite for increasing the impact of public budgets," He added.

Article 38 (1) of the Uganda Constitution empowers every Ugandan to participate in the affairs and activities of Government individually or through his or her representative to influence the policies of Government, citizens' participation in decision making, planning, budgeting is still marginal.

But Mukunda explained that Government officials especially at Local Government are reluctant to provide to the citizens budget information which can facilitate citizens effective participation in the planning and budgeting process.

The other CSOs include Teso Anti-Corruption Coalition (TAC), Northern Uganda Anti-Corruption Coalition, Uganda Debt Network, Anti-Corruption Coalition Uganda and Forum for Women in Democracy.

Paul Okiring the TAC programme coordinator said from their findings, not many people in the region know when the meetings start and end and that their attitude towards budget consultations is low and therefore needs empowerment.

"The leaders do not consult them under the guise of lack of resources," Okiring said, adding that deficiency in the health and education sector are the biggest challenges facing the region.

Ruth Namara, a communications officer at Kick Corruption out of Kigezi an NGO, also said there are minimal consultations carried out in the region.

She said the region still faces challenges of water shortage with community water sources like boreholes that do not function and NAADS officials that give them poor quality seedlings that do not yield much.