By Kabugho Sharon, Communications Officer, Kasese DLG.
On October 30, 2025, leaders, technocrats, and community representatives from across Kasese District gathered at the Multipurpose Hall for the annual District Budget Conference, setting the stage for a transformative financial year 2026/2027. The meeting graced by District Chairperson Hon. Muhindi Bukombi Eliphaz was not merely a statutory event but a vision setting moment that underscored the district’s commitment to turning planning into tangible impact.
Under the national theme, “Full Monetization of Uganda’s Economy through Commercial Agriculture, Industrialization, Expanding and Broadening Services, Digital Transformation and Market Access,” the Chairperson’s remarks framed Kasese’s budget priorities around economic empowerment, infrastructure resilience, and human development.
Hon. Muhindi’s address was a call to action urging all stakeholders to look beyond numbers and see the lives behind each allocation. The district’s Shs. 120.1 billion resource envelope, comprising locally raised revenue, central government grants, and donor funding, will directly target areas that touch everyday livelihoods.
- Among the top priorities are:
Strengthening the Parish Development Model (PDM) to enhance household incomes and community-driven growth. - Agro-industrialization and water for production aimed at shielding farmers from erratic weather patterns while boosting agricultural value chains.
- Education and health service quality, ensuring the next generation grows healthier, more skilled, and ready to compete.
- Road rehabilitation and maintenance, a key to unlocking market access and regional trade potential.
These priorities are not abstract, they promise to bring visible change to rural communities, schools, and health facilities across the district.
Kasese’s development story is one of steady progress shadowed by recurring hurdles. The Chairperson candidly highlighted issues such as rapid population growth, land fragmentation, unpredictable weather patterns, and inadequate road funding factors that threaten to erode gains made over the past decade.
- In response, the district is turning to innovative solutions:
Irrigation initiatives under the LoCAL and Micro-Scale Irrigation programmes to combat drought and ensure all-season farming. - Security strengthening to protect farmers and investors from theft and vandalism.
- Skilling programs like the Kasese Youth Polytechnic and Katwe Training Institute to empower young people with employable skills.
- A proposed tree planting ordinance to combat climate change and promote environmental stewardship.
These initiatives reflect a governance model that listens, adapts, and acts in response to emerging realities.
Beyond infrastructure and investment, the Chairperson’s remarks placed a strong emphasis on human capital. He pointed to growing concerns over malnutrition and stunted growth, especially among children and women, and the rising cases of HIV/AIDS that threaten social progress.
By calling for increased household level nutrition campaigns and anti-stigma health drives, the district leadership is reframing development not just as economic output, but as the wellbeing of its people.
Hon. Muhindi’s closing message was both inspirational and pragmatic: true transformation will come only when every citizen of Kasese takes ownership of the district’s agenda. From local council leaders to farmers, teachers, and business people, everyone’s input into the budgeting process was portrayed as vital to crafting an inclusive and people centered development framework.
As Kasese moves into the second year of its Fourth Five-Year Development Plan (2025/26–2029/30), the tone from the Budget Conference makes one thing clear, the district’s ambitions are as high as its mountains, and its people are ready to climb together.
The end.
