The Kitgum District Council has approved a budget of 47.26 billion Shillings for the 2026/2027 financial year, up from 44.33 billion Shillings in the current fiscal year, a trend of increased spending aimed at improving service delivery across key sectors.
The budget was presented during a council sitting on Wednesday by the Secretary for Works and Technical Services, Frank Kidega, on behalf of the Secretary for Finance, Planning and Administration, Emmanuel Lapyem. Kidega said the increase in the budget is largely attributed to a rise in wage allocations, which have increased from 25.2 billion Shillings to 28.6 billion Shillings.
“Next financial year, several employees shall have their salaries enhanced, especially U1E and U2 cadres, as well as primary and humanities teachers in secondary schools,” Kidega said.
He noted that 99.3 per cent of the budget will be financed through central government transfers, while only 0.7 percent will come from locally generated revenue, highlighting the district’s continued dependence on national funding. He added that despite this increase, the district has also witnessed a significant decrease in the allocation of programme conditional grants.
Under the approved allocations, the administration department will receive 9.5 billion Shillings, while finance and planning will take 376.4 million Shillings. Councils and statutory bodies have been allocated 909.9 million Shillings, production and marketing 2.4 billion Shillings, health and environment 10.5 billion Shillings, and education and sports 16.6 billion Shillings.
The roads and engineering department will receive 1.9 billion Shillings, while the water department has been allocated 478 million Shillings. Natural resources will take 952 million Shillings, community-based services 363 million Shillings, and Trade, Industry and Local Economic Development (TILED) 145 million Shillings. The planning and audit units have been allocated 456 million Shillings and 47 million Shillings, respectively.
Kidega said the budget is aligned with the District Development Plan for 2025/2026 to 2029/2030, which focuses on poverty reduction, improving household incomes, and driving economic transformation.
Councillors were informed that the district’s vision is to transform Kitgum into a more productive and economically resilient district through improved service delivery and increased household incomes.
The district’s strategic priorities include increasing agricultural productivity and commercialisation, strengthening human capital development, promoting private sector growth and job creation, expanding infrastructure in transport, energy, water and ICT, and enhancing governance, transparency and accountability.
The development framework is guided by the theme of promoting “inclusive wealth, employment, and sustainable economic transformation.”
Francis Ogaba Ocitti, the councillor for Lagoro Sub-county, moved a motion for the adoption of the draft budget, which was seconded by Christine Aya, councillor for Orom, and Dayan Ocitti of Lalano Sub-county-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
