KABALE MUNICIPALITY – Northern Division has held its budget conference for the Financial Year 2027/2028 at the division headquarters, bringing together stakeholders to discuss priorities and contribute views to the proposed budget before it is submitted for further scrutiny and approval.
The conference was chaired by Northern Division Chairperson Hon. Patrick Tushabomwe, who highlighted the importance of stakeholder participation in the budgeting process to ensure that community needs and development priorities are reflected in the final budget.
The meeting was organised in line with the principles of citizen participation in public finance management, providing stakeholders with an opportunity to review the division’s performance, identify service delivery gaps and make proposals for the coming financial year.
According to the division leadership, the views gathered during the conference will inform the draft budget before it is presented to the relevant sectoral committees for scrutiny and subsequently submitted to the council for approval.
During the meeting, the division also presented its performance report for the Financial Year 2025/2026, outlining achievements in road maintenance, revenue collection, financial management and the supervision of government programmes. Northern Division comprises four wards: Lower Bugongi, Upper Bugongi, Kijuguta and Rutooma, covering 22 villages.
In the works and technical services sector, the division reported that it had carried out mechanised maintenance of Kitojo Church Road at a cost of Shs 13.9 million and Rwere-Hornby Road at Shs 12.1 million. Grading works were also undertaken along Kigezi High School-Hornby Road, among other road maintenance activities aimed at improving accessibility.
In financial management, Northern Division recorded 93 per cent budget performance during FY 2025/2026. Local revenue collection reached 99 per cent of the target, with Shs 294.5 million collected against a target of Shs 295 million. The division reported total revenue of Shs 381.6 million against a budget of Shs 409.6 million.
The division also reported progress in supervising government programmes, particularly the Parish Development Model (PDM). According to the report, each of the four wards had disbursed Shs 360 million to beneficiaries since the programme’s implementation began in FY 2022/2023, reflecting the division’s role in monitoring the delivery of government support at the grassroots level.
However, Hon. Tushabomwe identified the limited local tax base and division demarcation challenges as major obstacles affecting revenue generation. These issues, he noted, have contributed to revenue losses and remain important concerns as the division prepares its budget for FY 2027/2028.
The budget conference provides an opportunity for Northern Division to build on its reported achievements while addressing financial and service delivery challenges. Stakeholders’ contributions will be important in shaping budget priorities, strengthening accountability and ensuring that available resources are directed towards the development needs of residents in Kabale Municipality.
