Ntungamo District Local Government has proposed a budget of 77 billion shillings for the 2027/2028 financial year, a figure that highlights significant constraints on development spending. According to the Nile Post, the proposal allocates 55 billion shillings to wages and 18 billion shillings to non-wage expenditure. This leaves only approximately 3.3 billion shillings for development projects, a sum that district officials argue is insufficient for a region of its size and service demands.
The budget was presented during a district conference where leaders reviewed previous performance and set priorities for the coming year. Nile Post reported that staffing levels in Ntungamo stand at just 43 per cent, creating gaps in critical sectors. District LC5 Chairperson Samuel Muchunguzi Rwakigoba told the conference that the current staffing level is "below 50 per cent," noting that the district aims to raise this figure to between 75 and 80 per cent to improve service delivery.
Staffing shortages are particularly acute in the education sector. Nile Post reported that Ntungamo’s 242 government primary schools currently have only about 101 headteachers. In the production sector, extension workers are overstretched, with some expected to serve up to three sub-counties. Ruhaama County MP Beatrice Rwakimaari told the Nile Post that the current workforce is inadequate, stating, "We can't achieve effective and adequate service delivery when staffing levels are below average." She called on the Ministry of Local Government to provide more wage allocations to recruit additional staff.
Senior Planner Johnson Ahabwe argued that the development allocation is inadequate for a district that is more than three times the size of others. He told the Nile Post that increasing the development budget to 15 billion shillings would be "impressive" given the geographical and service demands. Despite the tight budget, the district welcomed an additional 1 billion shillings for road maintenance, bringing the total road fund allocation to 2 billion shillings.
Local revenue collection remains a challenge, partly due to Foot and Mouth Disease outbreaks that have disrupted livestock markets for nearly six months. Nile Post reported that the district targeted 2.2 billion shillings in local revenue but has frequently fallen short. Chief Administrative Officer William Kamara stated that the next budget would emphasize domestic revenue mobilization and fiscal discipline, aligning with national growth drivers such as agro-industrialisation and tourism development.