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Phionah SANYU, Chief Accounting Officer Bushenyi making his submissions during the budget conference. [Photos: Joshua Nahamya]
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By Joshua Nahamya
Bushenyi
Bushenyi District Local Government has held its budget conference for the 2026/27 Financial Year, placing emphasis on increased transparency, accountability, and resource mobilization to address persistent funding and staffing gaps. Bushenyi District Chairperson Jaffar Basajabalaba, in his opening remarks, highlighted key challenges undermining service delivery across the district, particularly low staffing levels in critical sectors such as health. “Our staffing capacity stands at only 31.2% in the health sector, which is unacceptable for effective service delivery,” Basajabalaba said.
He appealed to the central government to urgently recruit more workers and enhance salaries for both technical personnel and political leaders.
Basajabalaba also stressed the need to strengthen local revenue collection to reduce dependency on external sources and improve infrastructure and services throughout the district.
Chris Mugasha, a veteran journalist Bushenyi district, makes his submission
Push for Transparency and Accountability
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Sanyu Phionah outlined several strategies the district will adopt to improve governance and citizen engagement, including:
Regular radio programs to update the public on service delivery progress
Increased use of community barazas to gather citizen feedback and monitor government programs
Introduction of annual leaders’ conferences to boost coordination and planning
Intensified external resource mobilisation to complement government funding
“We must engage communities more and remain transparent in how we conduct public business,” Sanyu said.
Phionah Atukwaasa, representing WACSOF
Stakeholders weigh in
Stakeholders from civil society and the media also shared recommendations aimed at improving development outcomes. Senior journalist and media leader Chris Mugasha challenged the district leadership—including Members of Parliament—to take a proactive role in mobilizing additional resources for the district.
The West Ankole Civil Society Organisation Forum (WACSOF), represented by Phionah Atukwaase, pledged continued support for the Local Economic Development (LED) agenda, emphasizing the need for value-for-money in public investments.
Caution over “model district” label
Deputy Resident District Commissioner (RDC) for Bushenyi, Williams Kasigazi Donanto, issued a stern warning regarding the district’s public image.
He argued that consistently branding Bushenyi as a “model district” may discourage development partners and donors, who could assume the district no longer requires urgent support.
“That model district tag can make us miss out on key partnerships. We must show our needs clearly if we want investors and development partners to prioritize us,” Kasigazi said.
Williams Kasigazi Donanto, Deputy RDC Bushenyi
Aligning With National Development Priorities
The budget conference sought to align Bushenyi’s planning with the national development agenda under the upcoming National Development Plan IV (NDP IV). The national budget strategy for FY 2026/27 is centered on “Full Monetization of Uganda’s Economy”, targeting transformation of the 39% of households still in the subsistence economy through:
Agro-industrialisation
Tourism development
Mineral-based industrial growth including oil and gas
Science, technology, innovation, and ICT
These key sectors are expected to drive Uganda’s economic expansion and job creation over the next planning period.
The outputs of the Bushenyi budget conference will feed into the district’s final budget proposals and performance targets for FY 2026/27, as government pushes to accelerate socio-economic transformation nationwide.
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