Construction of the Jinja District headquarters has stalled at 65 percent completion, with district officials citing persistent funding shortfalls from the central government as the primary obstacle to the project's completion.
The project, which has now taken seven years without completion, was halted in 2021 following the creation of Jinja City--an administrative change that significantly reduced the district's local revenue base and weakened its financial capacity to sustain major infrastructure investments.
Jinja District embarked on the construction of its new headquarters in 2019 at Kagoma, located approximately 25 kilometres along the Jinja-Kamuli highway.
The move followed the elevation of Jinja Municipality to city status, which required district authorities to vacate their former administrative premises.
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Initially estimated at Shs4.29 billion, the district had secured Shs2.5 billion at the start of the project, with the remaining funds expected from the central government. However, progress was disrupted before completion.
According to District Engineer Robert Mwembe, the project was scheduled for completion by August 2021, but unforeseen challenges derailed the timeline.
"The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted construction works, as the cost of building materials increased significantly. This forced the district to seek a contract extension after exhausting the available funds," Mwembe explained.
He added that prolonged delays, coupled with inflation and contractual variations, have since driven up the overall cost of the project. An additional Shs3 billion is now required to complete the remaining works.
"If the funds are availed in the next financial year, it will take at least two more years to complete the project," he said.
District authorities acknowledge that their heavy reliance on central government funding has made it difficult to sustain the project, especially after losing key sources of locally generated revenue to the newly created Jinja City.
Acting District Planner Veronica Nakyeyune noted that the district's revenue base has significantly dwindled since several economically active areas were incorporated into the city jurisdiction.
"Jinja District used to be among the richest districts, but major revenue-generating areas such as Bugembe, Mafubira and Budondo were incorporated into Jinja City. This has greatly affected our local revenue collections," she said.
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She added that the district now depends largely on limited sources, including taxes from workers and a few industries such as Kakira Sugar Limited and Kiira Motors Corporation.
Six years after the establishment of Jinja City, district leaders continue to operate from offices within the city, a situation they say is inefficient and inconvenient for residents who must travel long distances to access services.
Concerns have also been raised over the district's practice of returning unspent funds to the Treasury at the end of each financial year.
However, Chief Administrative Officer Lillian Nakamatte clarified that legal restrictions prevent the reallocation of such funds.
"The law does not allow the diversion of funds from their designated votes. Any attempt to reallocate funds outside their approved purposes can result in serious repercussions," she said.
Nakamatte further noted that most unspent funds originate from wage allocations, particularly where recruitment delays occur.
"In some instances, recruitment is approved in the second or third quarter, yet funds had been allocated from the first quarter. Since the law does not permit us to redirect those funds, they are eventually returned to the Treasury," she explained.
The prolonged delay in completing the district headquarters continues to hamper service delivery and administrative efficiency, with local leaders urging the central government to prioritise funding for the project to enable its completion and improve access to public services.
