A move by Kiboga district council members to increase their sitting allowances is attracting criticism from members of the public.
On Thursday during a budget council meeting, Bernard Ssegawa, the chairman finance and administration committee, moved a motion seeking the increment of councillors’ sitting allowance to 230,000 shillings up from 150,000 shillings.
Ssegawa defended the increment saying it would better service delivery as councillors will use the money to monitor services in their constituencies and mobilize people to support development programs.
The motion was seconded by Vincent Nkotanyi, the Kiboga town council district councillor, who said the increased allowances would help councillors cope with the current inflation.
Speaker Noah Kibwami pushed the matter back to the committee to suggest other alternative sources of revenue to cater for the hiked allowances as the district still faces revenue constraints.
Kibwami directed the committee to retable the issue for discussion in the next council meeting.
Chairman Israel Yiga backs his council members on the increment saying they deserve it now that the district’s debt burden has reduced to only 100 million shillings down from 500 million shillings.
But some members of the public are not happy with the council’s move. Yawe Balimunsi, a resident of Lwamata sub-county, says increasing councillors sitting allowances would further ruin the district’s limited finances.
Balimunsi urges the council members to rather increase funding to the road sector to work on roads in rural areas that are in an appalling state.
