JINJA CITY — The Minister of Local Government, Hon. Barugahara Balaam Ateenyi, this morning at the Central Region Local Government Budget Consultative Workshop for FY 2027/28 in Jinja City.
The Jinja meeting is part of the Regional Local Government Budget Consultative Workshops for FY2027/28 being held across the Central, Western, Eastern and Northern regions from September 14 to October 2, 2026.
The consultations are being conducted under the theme “Full Monetization of Uganda’s Economy through Commercial Agriculture, Industrialization, Expanding and Broadening Services, Digital Transformation and Market Access”.
In his address, Hon. Balaam said a good budget must begin with the people and respond to real community needs, not just figures on paper. “As Local Governments, our budgets must respond to the real needs of our communities—not simply the figures on paper. The priorities identified at parish, sub-county, municipal and district level must genuinely inform our planning, budgeting and resource allocation.”
The Minister emphasized that local governments must budget for tangible results — better roads, functional health centres, quality education, clean water and effective markets.
He warned that budgeting without accountability is meaningless, insisting that every shilling must be traceable. “Every shilling allocated to a Local Government must be traceable, properly utilised and fully accounted for. We must demand value for money at every stage.”
“Let us ask the hard questions. Let us follow the money. Let us monitor projects. Let us demand evidence of results.”
Hon. Balaam further stated that misuse of public resources must attract consequences, while good performance must be recognised. He called for a shift from accountability on paper to accountability in practice.
Closing with a pledge, he said: “We shall not treat public resources as our own. We shall guard every shilling as a trust from the people, spend it with discipline, account for it with honesty, and ensure that it delivers a measurable benefit to our communities.”
“Let our budgets speak through results. Let our leadership speak through integrity. And let our accountability speak through action.”
