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Arua, Uganda | URN | West Nile local government leaders have called for increased and timely financial allocations to districts, saying excessive spending on wages is leaving little money for development projects and essential services in education, health and roads.
The leaders made the call during the Local Government Budget Consultative Workshop for West Nile, held last week in Arua, as consultations for the 2027/28 financial year budget continue. They said many districts are struggling to implement approved development plans because a large share of their budgets is committed to salaries, while funds for infrastructure and other priority services remain limited.
Yumbe District Chairperson Asiku Abdumutwalib Mahmoud said the situation is affecting the district’s ability to deliver planned projects. He said Yumbe’s budget for the 2026/27 financial year stands at 72.3 billion shillings, of which about 35 billion shillings is allocated to wages, leaving only about eight billion shillings for development programmes such as infrastructure in schools, health centres and roads.
The leaders also raised concerns over weak local revenue mobilisation, saying districts need more support to increase locally generated revenue to supplement central government transfers and fund some development priorities. They urged the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to use the ongoing budget consultations to address the funding gaps and incorporate their proposals into the 2027/28 national budget.
Zombo District Principal Human Resource Officer Munguacel Peter said local governments sometimes return funds to the national treasury because of challenges beyond their control, including delayed releases and incomplete government processes. He cited two seed schools in Zombo which, despite receiving wage allocations, have not yet been coded.As a result, the funds cannot be fully utilised and are eventually returned to the Treasury because teachers cannot be deployed to the schools before the coding process is completed.
The leaders said delayed releases further complicate implementation, with many grants heavily weighted towards wages rather than infrastructure development in education, health and roads. They also cited understaffing as another challenge affecting service delivery.
Obongi County Member of Parliament Fungaroo Kaps Hassan called for improved funding to local governments, saying inadequate resources are making it difficult for districts to implement their development plans.Fungaroo said the funding constraints prevent local governments from supplementing central government resources and achieving planned targets, undermining broader national development programmes, including the Ten-Fold Growth Strategy.
Principal Economist at the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development Moses Ssonko, however, said government is committed to addressing the concerns raised by local governments through the budget process. Ssonko said government is prioritising investment in major sectors including agriculture, roads and mineral development as part of efforts to strengthen economic growth.
For the 2027/28 financial year, the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development has proposed strategies under the Ten-Fold Growth Strategy, including revenue-led fiscal consolidation and prudent management of oil revenues. The West Nile leaders want the ongoing budget consultations to result in increased and more predictable funding to local governments so that districts can invest more in infrastructure and improve service delivery.
