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 4.3 billion to three billion shillings.
Omona, says that said that the cuts impede essential service delivery in the
region.
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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 Shillings for effective
service delivery. The ministry’s budget had been slashed to 1.4 trillion.
