Kabarole District Fails To Spend Funds For Priority Sectors

Kabarole district local government has failed to spend money allocated to priority sectors. In June 2011, Kabarole district council approved 8 billion shillings as vote on account for the financial year 2011/2012. Vote on account constitutes 1/3 of the funds proposed for approval of the district budget. The district council approved 14 billion shillings budget for the 2011/2012 financial year.

Four billion shillings was allocated to the works department to repair four roads in the district and install ten water sources in different parts of the district. However since the commencement of the financial year on July 1st, the funds have not yet been spent despite assurances from Juma Nyende, Kabarole Chief Administrative officer that 80 % of the proposed works would be completed by the end of September 2011.

 

Some of the roads earmarked for rehabilitation before the end of this month are Harugongo- Kichwamba road, Kijura-Kyeuitamba road, Busoro-Kanyamakere and Kanyabeho-Kiko road.  The Kijura-Kyeitamba road is now inaccessible affecting tea farmers. David Irumba, a tea farmer in Kijura parish says that they were anxiously waiting for the road to be worked on to enable them transport their tea to the factories for sale.

Irumba says that he spends three hours instead of one hour to transport his tea to Kijura tea factory. He also says that the area LC5 councilor, who is a member of the works committee often, shuns them whenever they present their concerns to him.

 

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 In Hakibale Sub County, the communities are facing difficulties to access clean water. Charles Isingoma, a resident of Kijura parish says that they are at risk of contracting diseases, if water sources are not constructed in the area. He says that all the boreholes which were constructed by NGOs broke down and have not been repaired.

 

 

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Prosper Businge, a member of the works committee blames the district technical staff for frustrating implementation of the budget. Businge says that the district was supposed to have invited bids for road works but up to date nothing has been done.

 

He says that with the first quarter of the financial year soon coming to an end, some of the projects will have to be pushed to next year and this will affect the work plan of the committee.

 

Juma Nyende, the Chief Administrative Officer Kabarole, says that the delay to spend the funds is caused by members of the district procurement committee whom he referred to as being inefficient.  Asked if the district had advertised inviting for bids, Nyende refused to comment.

 

Kabarole district government has in the past failed to implement the five year development plan, which highlights priority areas which local governments are supposed to implement in a period of five years.