Why Terego district missed the national budget approval deadline

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The deadline for all local government councils across the country to approve their respective district budgets expired on Sunday, May 30, 2025.

However, the Terego district council, during a sitting held on May 29, 2025, deferred item six on the order paper—a motion to approve the district budget—citing late delivery of the draft budget and missing content.

The decision drew widespread public criticism, with allegations on social media suggesting that councillors postponed the approval to pressure the chief administrative officer (CAO), Moses Echat, to include increased allowances and benefits, including fuel for travel.

Reportedly, councillors wanted their allowances increased following the district’s strong local revenue performance this financial year. Of the projected sh541 million, sh488.8 million—representing 90%—was collected.

A section of members attending council.(Photo by Geoffrey Angupale)

When the council finally approved a sh32.9 billion budget for FY 2025/26 on June 5, councillors strongly denied the accusations circulating online.

The leader of government business, Sunday Ayikoru, noted that the initial delay was due to the late submission of files and the exclusion of work plans discussed by some committees in the draft budget.

“There were some areas our councillors were not happy with. We told the CAO to cater for those areas. The rumours that the councillors wanted to go with cash were a total lie by outsiders who hate this council, and nobody should abuse our integrity that we need money for our campaigns,” Ayikoru lamented.

Augustine Vuni defended the council’s position, stating that approval should only be granted to a budget that truly benefits communities.

“Council is the supreme body of the district, and its decisions are binding. When the council approves a raw document, it will not be binding, and the decisions will not benefit the communities we represent,” Vuni explained.

He cited inconsistent identification of priorities as a major cause of the delay, arguing that the executive was incapacitated in terms of monitoring.

“We are not performing one of our roles—monitoring activities in our communities. The challenge is both political and technical, and if we fail to monitor, we will not know the status of institutions to allocate resources appropriately,” Vuni noted.

He recommended that councillors prioritise monitoring in the new financial year so that gaps are identified early and addressed in their recommendations, allowing the timely allocation of resources.

Terego district speaker Casto Olema called on members to remain calm, adding that political blame games were to be expected in such situations.

“As a politician, the first expectation is accusation. These are things we should be comfortable with. But I can tell you, council being the supreme body of the district, even today members can decide not to approve the budget—what will the media and people interested in tarnishing the image of the council do?” Olema challenged.

The male district youth councillor, Hillary Aliku, acknowledged the public’s frustration, noting that council operations must comply with legal timeframes.

District councils that approve budgets after May 30 risk several consequences. They may be required to explain the delay, which can attract scrutiny from the Ministry of Finance and other stakeholders.

Moreover, delayed approval can hinder the timely execution of planned projects and programmes, potentially disrupting service delivery and creating financial challenges for the district.