KCCA seeks 3% from national budget

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT  |  Kampala Capital City Authority-KCCA wants government to allocate it 3 percent of the National Budget to the Authority. According to the 2020/2021 National Budget Framework paper, 3 percent of the 39.6 trillion proposed budget would amount to Shillings 1.7 trillion. The proposal by KCCA to push for the 3 percent of the National Budget allocation was reached during the discussion of the authority budget estimates tabled by the Ag. Executive Director, Andrew Kitaka.

The KCCA team expected to present its budget proposal before the Finance Committee of Parliament Wednesday. According to the budget frame work paper, government proposes to allocate KCCA Shillings 285 billion in the 2020/2021 for financial year without external support.

While presenting the KCCA budget estimates before council on Tuesday, Kitaka noted that there are several unfunded priorities recurring from the previous budget resulting from low funding.

He listed the priorities as renovation and maintenance of KCCA Health Centers, Operationalization of the new landfill at Kiteezi, procurement of garbage trucks, Management of Litigation, Arbitration and Compensations and procurement of Cesspool trucks for faecal sludge collection among others.

According to Kitaka, the unfunded priorities stand at over Shillings 473 billion.

Kitaka, explained that about Shillings 44 billion out of the Shillings 100 billion needed has been allocated to the Engineering and Technical Services department to carry out among others market renovations and improve drainage.

He also said KCCA had budget for over Shillings 1.2 billion out of Shillings 17 billion set aside for public health programs like procurement of vaccines and drugs for KCCA health center and renovations. 

The budget also allocates Shillings 3.4 billion out of the required over Shillings 150 billion for Water and Environment projects. The projects include management and expansion of Kiteezi Land fill, repair of garbage trucks and other equipment.

Government has only provided Shillings 5 billion out of the Shillings 7 billion budgeted for Education and Social Services. Makerere University Councilor, Doreen Nyanjura says government should extend more funding to KCCA such that it is able to effectively deliver services to the people of Kampala.

She decried the unfunded priorities that she says will affect the people of Kampala. Nyanjura who debated passionately about the sanitation status of Kampala, said the failure to invest in plans like buying garbage trucks could worsen the bad situation.

Nakawa 1 Councilor, Moses Mugisha Okwera, asked government to increase funding to KCCA because it is a capital city and the fact that it contributes highly to the National Treasury.

Doreen Sabuka, the Chairperson of the Revenue Collection Steering Committee shared the same sentiments, saying government ought to increase funding to KCCA. She hopes that the team from KCCA will be able to put up a strong defense and convince the Presidential Affairs Committee to buy their proposal.

The Authority is also lobbying government to include its budget to Shillings 139 billion provided by World Bank under the Kampala Institutional and Infrastructure Development Project (KIIDP 2).

The project was meant to end this financial year but KCCA sought an extension, which World Bank has since approved. KCCA needs government to approve the fund and include it on the KCCA budget such that the money can be spent and accounted for.

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