Buganda Kingdom has Monday presented its budget for the financial year 2016/17 focusing on education, agriculture, health, and the well-being of the youth. Education will take the largest share at 21.6 percent or Shs 15 billion of the Shs 73 billion budget.
“This financial year we will prioritise areas that improve the lives of Kabaka’s people hence the focus on education, agriculture, health, and unemployment especially among the youth,” said Robert Waggwa Nsibirwa, the Kingdom Finance, Investment, Planning and Economic Development Minister while presenting the budget to the Buganda Lukiiko at Bulange Mengo.
“In agriculture, our focus will be on coffee, matooke, and cassava which will enable Kabaka’s people have enough food to eat and at the same time have sustainable income,” he added. These 3 crops have a ready market and our people know how to farm it.
The Kingdom will start a cassava nursery in all the 18 counties at a cost of Shs 500 million and spend Shs 3 billion procuring coffee, matooke, and cassava seedlings.
Addressing the Lukiiko, Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga encouraged the youth to take this opportunity to improve their lives through agriculture drawing on the example of Bashir Mayiga of Buddu county who Kabaka Ronald Muwenda Mutebi II recognised recently as the Most Improved Farmer in the Kingdom.
“The Kabaka will every year give out the Enkumbi ya Kabaka award to the most improved farmer. So we encourage the youth to get involved in farming,” Mayiga emphasized.
“We want our people to grow more cassava because we have a ready market for it as it is a raw material for Ngule, our beer,” Mayiga said.
“The National Agricultural Research Organisation [NARO] has recommended that we grow cassava types NASE 03, NASE 14, NASE 19, NAROCASS 1, and NAROCASS 2. They types are resistant to diseases and give big yields. Although we will have our own nursery beds, in the meantime, seedlings are available in Kyaggwe at Ibrahim Kabambwe’s farm,” Mayiga explained.
Healthcare
The Kabaka will continue to provide health care services to his people through health camps among other activities.
Plans to build a referral hospital for Buganda will start this year while a mobile clinic worth Shs 286m will be procured.
“We will contribute at least Shs 100m to the treatment of the sickle cell disease this year as part of proceeds from Kabaka’s Birthday Run,” Nsibirwa said.
A new complex worth Shs 3 billion will be built at Muteesa I Royal University at Mengo campus while the main campus in Masaka will get a facelift, replacing asbestos with new roofing.
“The new building with five floors will house a modern library, offices, and lecture rooms,” Nsibirwa said.
The Kabaka will continue to provide school bursaries to needy students from all over Uganda.
The Kabaka’s Education Fund currently supports over 2, 541 students.
The Kingdom will start an internship and mentorship programme and support youths to create jobs. Saving and credit schemes will further be supported so that women and youth have access to the capital needed to grow their businesses.
Investments
Namulondo Investments, the kingdom’s property developing arm will continue to develop commercial properties including the Governor Heights in Makindye. “The Mirembe Villas project in Kigo on the shores of Lake Victoria will continue to develop high end houses while a new housing project focusing on low income earners will be started at Ssentema in Wakiso district,” Nsibirwa said.
New companies and projects to increase the Kingdom’s income will be supported with Shs 2.5 billion. Buganda plans to start feasibility studies for an insurance company this financial year.
The rehabilitation of Kasubi Royal Tombs, the Wamala Tombs, and the Kabaka’s Lake will continued to be prioritised.
For the first time, Buganda has made a general budget that caters for every aspect in the Kingdom.
“The budget focuses on all our programmes making us operate as a single unit. We have done this as a way of streamlining the way we do business,” Katikkiro Charles Peter Mayiga told the Lukiiko.
For example, clan heads will get Shs 280 million to run their offices and promote culture.
The money to fund this Shs 73 billion budget is expected to come from activities on Kabaka’s land, payments from the central government as part of what it owes the Kingdom, tuition fees from the Kingdom’s institutions, and royalties from using the Kingdom’s name among others.
“We will continue to demand the central government to pay us the money they owe us. We hope that this financial year, the government will pay back Shs 8 billion out of the money they owe us,” Nsibirwa emphasized.
Ettoffaali (fundraising drives) will continue this financial year with Shs 2 billion expected to be corrected. Since the last sitting of the Luukiiko in April 2016, Shs 161m has been raised in Ettoffaali drives. A modern press room will also be set up at Mengo.
Ministers
The Katikkiro congratulated all people who have been appointed ministers by the central government but they must know that they have been appointed to serve.
“We are not interested in how many Baganda, Catholics or Anglicans have been appointed ministers, we are interested in what they do,” Mayiga said.
“The responsibility ahead of them is to ensure sufficient supply of drugs, relevant education programmes, clean and safe water, markets for the produce especially in rural areas and stamp out corruption,” Mayiga said.
The Vice President, Edward Kiwanuka Ssekandi, Ministers Kiwanda Ssuubi and Betty Namisango Kamya attended the Lukiiko.
Summary of Key Expenditures
No Priority Area Amount (Ushs)
1 Education 15,994,072,546
2 Agriculture 3,727,156,000
3 Health 773,320,804
4 Investments 3,640,000,000
5 Tourism 629,298,000
6 Real Estate development/rehabilitation 2,336,755,000
7 Gender and community service 88,940,000
8 Cooperatives 89,260,000
9 Press room 150,000,000
10 Rehabilitation of culture and heritage sites 2,242,008,391
Summary of Expected Income
No Activity Amount (Ushs)
1 Activities from Kabaka’s land 17,537,267,962
2 Payment of debt by the central government 8,000,000,000
3 Education 16,261,409,682
4 Rental income 3,657,118,302
5 Partnerships 7,260,000,000
6 Communications 13,645,000,000
7 Certificates, sub county and clan contributions 932,574,120
8 Royalties from using Kingdom name 860,000,000
9 Tourism 749,298,000
10 Ettoffaali 2,000,000,000
11 Saccos 1,350,000,000
Total Expected Income: 73,706,266,567