The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The budget cuts in the Ministry of Teso Affairs have raised concern from the leaders in the sub-region. A report from Kenneth Obote Ongalo, the State Minister for Teso Affairs, indicates that the ministry’s budget has been reduced from sh4.3 billion to three billion.
Omona, says that said that the cuts impedes essential service delivery in the region.
Teso affairs ministry’s main objective is to initiate, design, coordinate, collaborate, and implement special programs and projects for the Teso Region. The ministry has recently been engaged in boosting health service delivery in Teso by providing ambulances and other health infrastructure.
The ministry has also been engaged in activities that restore the environment by combating the effects of climate change, among other interventions.
Stephen Ochola, the Serere LCV Chairman says that the continuous reduction of the budget in the ministry is an insult to the people of Teso.
“I won’t be surprised if that budget has been reduced again. “I said it when I was a shadow minister for Teso Affairs. At the time, the ministry had been allocated only 500 million. But we presented an alternative budget of ten billion shillings. When the government saw it, they increased the budget to five billion shillings,” he added.
Ochola, who doubles as the chairman of LCV chairpersons in the Teso sub-region says that the Ministry of Teso Affairs was created on affirmative action, adding that it would be prudent to empower it with resources to change the status quo.
“Teso is still recovering from the LRA and Karamojong incursions. The poverty levels are still very high and yet, there seems to be no direct move to change the situation,” he noted.
Ochola, the former MP for Serere County urged the government to address issues of education and agricultural production to enable the sub-region to fully recover.
“It may not necessarily be through the ministry but our major issue is resources to empower our people. Whether it’s through the ministry or another channel, as long as it empowers our local communities in Teso,” he noted.
The Ministry of Teso Affairs serves 14 districts, according the Ongalo. He notes that his office is overwhelmed with intervention requests against the limited resource envelope allocated to the ministry.
“Teso has a history of being underserved in terms of development and economic support. Over the years, we’ve been left to manage our affairs with limited resources. This budget cut is a setback for our efforts to address the deep-seated issues of poverty, infrastructure gaps, and education,” Obote remarked.
Besides the Teso Affairs Ministry, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also raised similar concerns for its budget for the 2024/2025 financial year by asking Parliament to maintain the 1.9 trillion Shillngs for effective service delivery. The ministry’s budget had been slashed to 1.4 trillion.
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