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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA councillors are protesting the inadequate funds allocated to the authority for the 2020/2021 financial year.
According to the national budget framework paper, KCCA has been allocated 325.44 billion shillings. Of this amount, 294.94 billion shillings will be directly from central government while 30.5 billion shillings is derived from the road fund.
Last year KCCA was allocated the same amount of funds. More funding of about 225 billion shillings was derived from World Bank under the Kampala Infrastructure Institution Development Project- KIIDP II. Currently, no external funding has been provided in this first budget call circular.
The acting Executive Director of KCCA Sam Serunkuma says that KCCA budget is very minimal and wants the government to increase funding to the authority.
Serunkuma, who did not estimate the amount of money KCCA needs to run effectively, says that KCCA cannot meet its road construction and maintenance projects, schools renovations, management of health facilities and urban planning among others with low funding.
Ag. Director Treasury Services Donny Kitabire also says that KCCA needs about 500 billion shillings to run the city competently. He says that government should increase funding to KCCA so as to make it deliver on a city desirable by Ugandans.
Kitabire says that KCCA is able to generate income internally but that is not enough to fund KCCA budget. Last year, KCCA collected about 97 billion shillings internally and expects to collect 110 billion shillings this year.
He adds that currently, KCCA does not have other avenues to generate income. In the past, KCCA collected about 20 billion shillings annually from taxis.
According to Kitabire, KCCA is still working to see that taxis and Boda Boda Boda cyclists remit some money to KCCA.
Moses Kataabu the councillor Kampala Central says that KCCA deserve more funding because it contributes a lot to the National Gross Domestic Product.
Teresa Owino Namujuzi, councillor representing the elderly says government should increase funding to KCCA. She adds that public expectations are high because of the status that Kampala holds as a city.
Owino says government needs to invest in Kampala’s infrastructure and urban planning.
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