Jinja | The Local Government Budget Consultative Workshop for the financial year 2026/27 commenced on Monday, September 29, at Hotel Paradise in Jinja, drawing participants from five Eastern Uganda districts of Kamuli, Tororo, Butebo, Pallisa, and Kaliro.
The workshop, convened under the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, served as a crucial platform for district leaders to harmonise priorities with national economic strategies ahead of the coming financial year.
Internal Auditor General, Dr Akonya Fixon Okonye, who represented the Minister of Finance, opened the workshop. In his keynote address, Dr Akonya underscored the importance of aligning district budget frameworks with the central government’s vision of accelerated growth.
He emphasised that the exercise was not merely routine but a pivotal stage in shaping how resources will be allocated to meet Uganda’s development objectives.
“Budget consultations at the local level are the foundation of effective service delivery. They ensure that our plans are not only reflective of the national agenda but also responsive to community needs,” he said.
He urged participants to see themselves as central actors in driving Uganda’s economic transformation.
According to Dr Akonya, the government has set its sights on growing the economy tenfold through deliberate and strategic investments.
He explained that this ambition hinges on channelling resources into key productive sectors, often described as the ATMs: Agriculture, Tourism, and Minerals, alongside the critical enablers such as infrastructure, human capital development, and technology.
“These are the engines of growth that, if well supported at both central and local levels, can trigger broad-based economic transformation. Every district represented here must prioritise these sectors when designing budgets,” he stated.
The Internal Auditor General further reminded Accounting Officers that their responsibility extends beyond financial oversight.
He called on them to actively support political leaders in navigating budget preparation and execution processes. According to him, this collaboration ensures that technical expertise and political direction complement each other, resulting in coherent planning and effective implementation.
“Accounting Officers must not work in isolation. They need to guide chairpersons, council members, and other political leaders so that the final budgets are realistic, implementable, and in line with government priorities,” he advised.
Throughout his address, Dr Akonya highlighted the role of budget consultative workshops as vital spaces for dialogue between central government representatives and district officials. Such interactions, he noted, strengthen accountability, enhance transparency, and guarantee that limited public resources are invested in areas with the highest potential impact.
The districts in attendance, Kamuli, Tororo, Butebo, Pallisa, and Kaliro, were urged to take full advantage of the platform to share their unique challenges and development priorities.
By doing so, their inputs would be integrated into the broader national planning framework, ensuring that local realities are not left out of national strategies.
In stressing the need for coherence, Dr Akonya cautioned against fragmented planning that undermines efficiency. He encouraged participants to harmonise district initiatives with existing government programs to avoid duplication and wastage.
“Each shilling must be made to work for the people. Our mandate is to ensure value for money in every budget line,” he said.
The workshop also served as a reminder of the government’s continued push for decentralisation.
By empowering districts to take part in shaping their budgets, the Ministry of Finance reaffirms its belief that local governments play a critical role in service delivery, particularly in rural communities where development gaps are most pronounced.
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