Obongi citizens want inclusion in budgeting process

Highlights

• According to locals, education, health, roads, agriculture and water are some of the core services that are faced with challenges in the communities that require attention of government
• RICE West Nile, in partnership with GIZ and with funding from the German Development Cooperation and the European Union, is implementing a nine-month project

By Joseph Odama

A section of citizens in Obongi district have said they have on several occasions been excluded in budgeting process.

They say as a result, most of the budgets are done without inclusion of their priorities. Speaking during a budget conference at Itula Sub county, Betty Konga, a resident of Itula Sub county, said for proper implementation, citizens should have a say in the process because so that they own and follow up issues of accountabilities.

In practice, many of the LGs do not organise Lowe Local Government consultation meetings with the major reason being lack of financial resources to facilitate this process.

This creates a situation where the annual plans and budget are disconnected to the needs and problems of the people living in the given jurisdictions.

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I have never known of any politician coming to our village to inquire challenges that we face which can be put in the budget.

Similarly, Oli Kari Gregory, another resident, said: “We want to be involved so that we own the projects. How can we be part of what is being implemented if we do not know the plans and how much is allocated for us?”

According to technocrats in Obongi, many projects in the communities have become white elephants because community refuses to own them because they lack knowledge about the projects.

While citing an abandoned multi-million milk selling project site in Palorinya, Santus Dranguli, the Obongi district economist said that non-involvement of communities is resulting into the wastage resources.

“An example of a place meant for sale for milk at Nyatarilo, if you go there now, you will see the place in a bush because the initiative did not come from the community,” Santus Dranguli said.

Rashid Onzima, the Sub county chief of Itula advocates for a bottom-up approach in the planning process among politicians where budgeting is done in response to the challenges presented by the ordinary citizens.

“People sit in the headquarters and think for the people which may not favor them,” he noted.

Intervention

Rural Initiative for Community Empowerment (RICE) West Nile, a nongovernmental organization implementing projects in Palorinya refugee settlement calls upon councils of Itula Sub county and Obongi district to involve views of women and youth in such development.

Programs Manager at RICE-WN, Comfort Yikiru, said: “One of the key things we are looking at is increasing participation of women and youth in decision making processes so that they can raise their voices for considerations.”

RICE West Nile, in partnership with GIZ and with funding from the German Development Cooperation and the European Union, is implementing a nine-month project (August 2024 to April 2025): “Women and Youth Building Resilient Communities in Palorinya Refugee Settlement and Host Community.”

The Assistant Settlement commandant at Palorinya settlement, Jonathan Matata, said there was a need to avoid dictating projects on communities.