Joint Press Statement by CSOs in West Nile on Budget Priorities for FY 2026/2027
Posted on: 2025-11-13 09:00:02
As National and Sub-national governments prepare the FY2026/2027 budgets, we, the civil society organisations operating in West Nile, call upon the local governments and the Central Government to allocate adequate resources for service delivery, climate resilience, and inclusive development.
West Nile, with 4.38 million people, including 800 thousand refugees, remains one of Uganda’s most underdeveloped regions. 69.4% of the population is food insecure, 60.6% of youth aged 18–30 are neither in school nor employed, and 59% live below the poverty line compared to the national average of 16.1% (UBOS 2023/2024 national household survey). Refugee settlements intensify pressure on forests, wetlands, and arable land, leading to deforestation, soil erosion, and increased resource competition. Adequate budget allocations are urgently needed to address these multi-sectoral challenges.
Despite its vast population and urgent development needs, West Nile received only 7.4% of the total budget allocation to local governments in FY2025/26, and of this, a mere 8.3% was earmarked for development expenditure. This level of investment remains grossly inadequate to address the critical infrastructural and social service deficits facing the sub-region.
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Issued on October 22nd, 2025, at Heritage Courts Hotel, Arua City.
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