Councilors of Hoima Municipality have for the second time declined to pass the 25 percent vote on account because of the failure by the town clerk to present a comprehensive financial report for the last financial year. The move is likely to frustrate, the council activities unless the main budget is passed soon. The decision to block the approval of the vote on account came after Pius Epaju, the town Clerk Hoima Municipality failed to show up on Wednesday to present a comprehensive financial report as he had promised during the budget reading on June 29th. Mary Mugasa, the Mayor Hoima Municipality labored to explain to the councilors during the extra ordinary council meeting held at Kolping gardens that the report was still being put together, but they could not have any of it.
Margaret Mande, the central Ward woman councilor said they couldn't approve the vote on account unless the document showing last financial year’s revenues and expenditures was presented as pledged by the town clerk last month. Mande said as people’s representatives they want to ensure proper accountability of public funds. She was supported by Brian Kaboyo, the youth councilor who demanded that unless a full detail of the municipal’s last financial year’s budget implementation is presented, council will not approve the vote on account.
The municipal council has been on the spot for mismanaging funds meant to relocate Hoima central vendors and failing to rehabilitate roads in town. The councilors also doubted the legality of the extra ordinary council meeting which they say was called by the Mayor other than the speaker. They argued that such a meeting according to procedure should be called by the speaker and not the mayor as it was in this case. They cite this as another ground for refusing to approve the vote on account saying the meeting was illegal. URN saw a July 23 phone text message sent by the Mayor to one of the councilors inviting him for the Wednesday meeting.
The mayor however defended herself saying she invited the meeting in consultation with the speaker. In an attempt to lure the councilors into passing the vote on account Mugasa told the meeting that ever since the beginning of this financial year council has been grappling to render services such as garbage collection and road rehabilitation among others due to lack of funds. The mayor said the passing of the vote on account will bail out council or else all its activities will ground to a halt as council will not have approved any expenditure this financial year.
This however did not change the councilors’ minds as they stuck to their guns. It now remains to be seen how council will continue running business with a 25 percent without any funds. The vote on account allows the council to continue operating in the interim period between the old and new financial year until the budget is approved.
