The Community Mobilization and Mindset Change Programme has been allocated the least share of the budget in the Ministry of Gender for the Financial Year 2024/2025 to the dismay of Members of Parliament.
According to the report of the Committee on Gender, Labour and Social Development on the Ministerial Policy Statements that was presented by the committee chairperson, Hon. Flavia Kabahenda during the Thursday, 11 April 2024 plenary sitting, mindset change has only been allocated 0.07 percent of the total budget.
“The Committee observed that the community mobilisation and mindset change programme which is critical in social-economic transformation of the communities has the lowest budget and yet it is core in the performance of all the other programmes. Therefore, we recommend that this programme be prioritised,” Kabahenda said.
Budget estimates by programme allocation for FY 2024/2025 show that development plan implementation (44.16 percent), human capital development (16.18 percent), governance and security (12.44 percent), integrated transport infrastructure & services (10.29 percent) take the largest share of the budget, whilst, mineral development (0.05 percent) and community mobilisation and mindset change programmes (0.07 percent) take the least share of the budget for the FY 2024/25.
Mindset change, a fifth pillar of Parish Development Model (PDM) is a programme implemented by the gender ministry that seeks to empower citizens, families and communities for increased responsibility and effective participation in sustainable national development, strengthen institutional capacity of central, local government and non-state actors for effective mobilization of communities, among others.
“This pillar supports and inspires communities to appreciate and effectively participate in development programmes. The pillar was allocated only Shs1 billion out of the required Shs7 billion in the 1st year of the programme, and subsequently not allocated any funds in the FY 2023/24 as well as the FY 2024/25 NBFP,” Kabahenda said.
The committee recommended that Shs5 billion be provided to the ministry to coherently implement an effective community mobilisation campaign for the PDM in communities.
Hon. Dennis Nyangweso (Ind., Samia Bugwe Central County) implored the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to explain the variations in cash releases per quarter, saying it is one of the reasons why many programmes have not performed well.
“Finance has been religious in releasing money for the first two quarters but when it comes to the third and fourth quarter, you realise there are no releases. Finance ministry needs to explain. Is there a problem with cash flow or is it deliberate?” he said.
Hon. Sarah Opendi (NRM, Tororo district) however, has a dissenting view, saying the Shs5 billion required for community mobilisation is unnecessary.
“Shillings 5 billion for community mobilisation would go a long way in supporting 5,000 additional people. So, I am not in support of availing funds for community mobilisation because people are already aware of PDM and we have committees which are functional at parish level,” Opendi said.
Hon. Kabahenda re-echoed mindset change as a critical programme that guides communities on the choice of investments and enterprises.
Deputy Speaker, Thomas Tayebwa proposed that the ministry makes good use of Enterprise Uganda, a public-private institution that focuses on the promotion of development of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises.
“On PDM, the mindset change that is needed is a business-oriented mindset change and we have Enterprise Uganda which has been doing a fantastic job, let them visit your area and you will see how much they will change in terms of perception,” Tayebwa said.
