Background:
 |
| Mr Nicholas Muhesi KALI officer sharing duing Nyakiyumbu S/C budget Conference |
Following the Public Private Partnership (PPP) strategy, KALI in partnership with Sub County Local Governments organized budget conference aimed at fostering a feedback from the sub county leadership to give accountability to the grassroots on the budget performance review and about what was planned for the in coming financial year budget 2013/14.
PARTICIPANTS
To make the duty bearers and grassroots (stakeholders) as beneficiaries, Kali in partnership with Local Governments in Kasese District at Sub County level of Nyakiyumbu, Kitholhu, Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Town Council, Katwe-Kabatoro Town Council and Kyondo Sub county Local governments approached KALI to partner for conducting budget conference as indicated in table below:
Table1: Showing 5 sub county and participant disaggregated data
Date Sub county Participants
M F T
20/3/2013 Nyakiyumbu 87 6 93
22/3/2013 Kitholhu 52 6 58
25/3/2013 Mpondwe-Lhubiriha TC 45 20 65
04/04/13 Katwe-Kabatoro TC 25 13 38
08/04/13 Kyondo 59 7 66
Total 5 268 52 320
The disaggregated data for the participants was 268 males, 52 females making a total of 320 participants. The key participants were the District Councilors, parish councilors, standing committees, heads of departments, implementing partners and the general public.
Opening Remarks
All meeting started at different interval of time with a word of prayer led by good Samaritans.
The Sub County LCIII chairperson/ mayors welcomed and thanked the participants for the overwhelmed turn up within a short notes. They briefed the participants on the significance of having Budget Conference as:
It promotes transparency by allowing all the stakeholders to identify priorities for funding.
It makes the citizens to have a chance to contribute to and have a sense of ownership during resource allocation and utilization.
It provides an opportunity to the citizenry to receive reports on previous performed and the current performance trend and therefore come up with practical and feasible solutions on the existing challenges in the operation of local government.
The theme of budget conference hinged on “Planning in local government with the aim of creating impact”
Basing on the theme above the LCIII chairpersons/mayors further gave an overview of the Budget conference as one of the local government monitoring tool process . It is therefore during a budget conference that citizens receive and give comments on draft sectoral priority plans and financial resource allocation and give out their opinions and views that would be incorporated in the final compilation of the estimated budget plan.
Objectives of the budget conference
The overall objective of the budget conference was to share the budget estimate presentations on the previous financial year 2012/2013 achievements and know the 2013/2014 financial budget outlook. The specific ones were:
To receive and discuss the sub county revenue performance report of 2012/2013
To receive and discuss the sub country resource envelop for 2013/2014
To receive and discuss the sectoral budget framework paper.
In accordance to the Local Government Act 1997 amended 2006 under section 8394 the chairpersons/mayors took the participants through the sources of revenue and expenditures and how allocations are made to each sector.
SECTORAL PRESENTATIONS
During the budget conference the technical heads presented to the meeting their draft sector budget framework paper (BFP) based on the following highlights:
Review budget performance first and second quarter 2012/2013
Major constraints and possible remedies
Receive projections for FY 2013/2014
Expenditure framework -allocation of available resources
Unfunded priorities
During the budget conference heads of department and sectoral committee heads, followed budget guiding question such as: What are the priorities of the council. The council must work with in the national framework of the cabinet such as Universal Primary Education, Primary Health Care, Agricultural Extension (NAADS), Feeder roads, water and sanitation. These are priorities that the Poverty Action Fund also spends on. Every local council must reflect these in its planning and budgeting process.
KEY ISSUES
Planned priorities FY 2013/2014
Nyakiyumbu Sub County
Completion of Ndongo SDA primary school.
Completion of Kitholhu HCII and Musyenene HC III
Repair of 2 boreholes
Opening of Kibara-Rwehingo Road
Support farmers with coffee, banana and Cassava cuttings in all parishes.
NB: Two boreholes will be provided by the district
Kitholhu Sub county
Construction of classrooms at Kyabayenze, Ikobero, and Kitholhu primary schools.
Completion of 6 classrooms at Kisabu and Kyabayenze primary schools.
Construction of staff quarters at Kisebere, Ikobero and Bulemera primary schools.
Kyabikekuru and Muroho GFS will be boosted by Kabandi stream from Kithobira parish so as to increase the water volume and this will bring the water coverage to 49%.
Demarcating of government land
Construction of data bank is on going at a cost of 64 million but only 35 m has been realized.
Construction of Kyabikere Health centre II
Equipping Kitholhu and Kanyatsi maternity wards with beds and delivery sets
Construction of 5 VIP latrines of 3 stances
Rehabilitation of un functional protected spring
Training of VHTs on health related issues
Completion of Kiraro maternity ward in Kiraro parish.
Mpondwe-Lhubiriha Town Council
Construction of 4 latrine stances in Rusese primary school
Roofing of primary school in Kyambogho wards
Completion of ward offices
Construction of Mpondwe-Custom market under PPP
Maintenance of existing roads
Opening of new roads
Construction of Kalimanga Market under PPP
Establishment of cattle market in Sesele ward.
Extension of water to the community.
Continue with routine garbage collection
NAADS to continue with coffee, banana, poultry, piggery enterprises
Land procurement for abattoir and sementry
Katwe-Kabatoro Town Council
Construction of a male ward at HC III
Routine maintenance of roads
Procure motorcycle for works department
Renovation of salt lake shade
Kyondo Sub County
Construction of 3-class room block and office at Bughungu Primary school.
Completion of Ngome primary school.
Construction of GFS at Kasokero
Construction of market shade at Buyaga
Construction of 3 latrine stance at Kinyabisiki and Kyazabiri trading centres
Construction of a foot bridge at Bughungu and Busingo crossing points.
Upgrading of Bwethe HCII to HCIII
Achievements
Parish chiefs committed themselves and agreed to collect priorities in liaison with the Village and Parish Development Committees.
Participants were vigilant during the budget presentation and asked relevant questions that helped the Technical Committees to have priorities that are engendering budget.
The participants in Kyondo Sub County tasked the LC III chairperson and the Speaker to explain why and how CDD money was given to groups.
The youth group in Kyondo Sub county are going to petition the RDC and the Sub County speaker about the CDD money.
The participants in Katwe Kabatoro TC demanded for the accountability on the expenditure of Roads, market places and the Crocodile cages .
All participants were furious on how NAADS is being implemented in their respective areas despite the new guidelines where 70% is administrative and training costs.
Despite the inadequate funds from local revenue, all sub counties agreed to conduct budget conferences at every financial year.
The LCIII chairpersons and SAS realized the importance of Implementing Partners in their areas and pledged to network together. This created visibility of CSOs that work in particular places.
Despite few number of women in attendance, they were active participants as they participated, deliberated and represented their electorates in their respective departments.
General emerging key operational challenges from the presentations
Misconception of education policy and Act 2008
Automatic promotion to next class
Laxity of parents not to register their children in school
Lack of ownership of school by community
Delayed UPE funds from the centre
Lack of midday meals to learners
Sharing of latrine stances by both teachers and pupils
Regular and un explained salary cutting of salaries from the MoES/MFPED/Public service
Multiple loans by teachers from money lenders/Sacco and Banks
Redundant staff quarters
Absenteeism of both teachers and pupil
Transfer of teachers Vs pay roll
Low repayment of NAADS inputs
Low attendance of farmers to trainings and meetings
Conflict in choice of enterprises by food security farmers
Failure to win the program by youth groups supported under NAADS
Threat of swine fever to the piggery enterprise
Late co-funding by both the sub county which affects the program
Lack of an effective Banana Bacterial Wilt Control measure
Coffee stumping
Threat of Brown cassava mosaic disease.
Threat of Coffee rust
Unskilled procurement committees of NAADS
SPECIFIC CHALLENGES
Low turn up of participants during the budget conference. This was attributed to the planting season as most women are the ones most involved.
Sub county leadership does not invite the key stakeholders. This has a direct bearing on the partnership, networking and collaboration in the implementation of the sub county activities.
Inadequate funding from the central government
Low resource base which impacts on the sub county operations.
Low absorption rate of NAADS programme.
The Heads of Department /Technical and standing committee members still have a gap in making a gender budget. This was witnesses during the analysis of the Community Based Services Department in support to women, youth programme activities, support to PWDs and Children programme activities and support to education pragramme activities in most sub counties. Also the department of Environment and Natural Resources was poorly funded.
Some of the activities are still rolled out yet they were funded 100%.
Most of the sub counties did not plan for protected springs in their budgets but were thinking about designing GFS which is a district priority.
Most of the budget projections were not realistic to cater for the needs of the grassroots. i.e some critical activities were not realised.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Revenue enhancement Strategies
The Sub Counties will employ and engage stakeholders mostly implementing partners to realize a big tax and resource base to enhance improved service delivery and development.
As budget conference forum involves quite a number of Sub County, advocacy priorities and issues could be channeled to the district local government and other duty bearer from the central government and beyond through the implementing partners and politicians.
RWECO-KALI should conduct a budget conference training before the councils made their budgets so as to an engendered budget and good response and people to know their priorities they need.
Despite the meagre resource base and funding not realised 100% the budget estimates were pro-poor as they aimed at improving service delivery in respective areas.
COMPILED BY
MUHESI NICHOLAS-Programme Officer
No comments:
Post a Comment