By Patrick Opio
Senior Communications Officer
Lira University has held a vibrant annual Budget Conference with a call for faculty heads and heads of department to adhere to key priority areas aimed at enhancing academic and development performances in the financial year 2025/2026.
The University Council Chairperson, David Geoffrey Opio Okello lauded the Council members and technical staff for planning diligently towards the success of the university. He was addressing the Budget Conference held at EMBA Hall on 4th November 2024.
“Make sure you consider planning and budgeting for the most priority items and activities, money is not enough,” Opio Okello advised. He adds,” Always be consistent and coordinated wile budgeting and implementing the budget. Put resources where positive impacts can be seen and felt, plan early enough, capture all you think are important in the work plan and budgets.”
“Be cognizant on how your planned or budgeted items can be financially supported, think outside the box on how we can source for funding,” he said adding that partnerships and collaborations, locally and globally will support development of the university.
The theme of the 2025/2026 Financial Year is: “Full Monetization of Uganda’s Economy through Commercial Agriculture, Industrialization”.
The chairperson encouraged the university to seriously undertake tree planting projects in the campus. “We need to plan and budget for planting trees in the compounds of the university. Trees make the university beautiful and attractive, provides shades and wind breaking service that protects buildings, among others,” Opio Okello noted.
Vice Chancellor, Prof. Jasper Ogwal Okeng who lauded the Council for his reappointment as Vice Chancellor for another 5-year term, promised to continue with team work in the planning and implementing development activities for the university. He added that proper planning and budgeting is paramount in spurring development of the young university to greater heights.
The University Secretary, Mr. Augustine Oyang Atubo revealed that shs3.2 Billion is earmarked for spending in the next financial year.
The University Bursar, CPA.Nathan Hagobi Hasahya, revealed that Government has maintained the budget costs for this financial year for use in the 2025/2026 financial year.
He added that, on the overall Budget verse Cash flow stability, the total budget has shown a consistent upward trend, likely due to inflation, economic growth and increased demand for public services.
“This includes gradual increases in wage recurrent and GoU non-wage operational expenditures, demonstrating a commitment to government operations and workforce support,” Hagobi said. He added,” however, cash flow remains unstable, creating a gap between approved budgets and actual fund releases.”
The Bursar says, over the years, there has been increased wage recurrent funding, steady growth in wage recurrent funding has supported staff salaries, allowing for possible increases in staff numbers or improved compensation, enhancing staff stability and morale.
Some of the key areas for budgeting include completing new buildings and lecture halls to accommodate student growth, aligning with the National Investment Plan, tarmacking internal roads to ease movements and enhance security.
Others include construction of student accommodation facilities(hostels), enhancing recreational areas for campus aesthetics and student wellbeing, developing new programmes to expand academic offerings in technology, engineering, agriculture and health sciences and providing seed funding for faculty and postgraduate research, fostering industry partnerships.
For medical and laboratory equipment, Hagobi ask for allocation of funds for such critical equipment in medicine, education and the Teaching Hospital and taking care of technology and digital transforming including ICT infrastructure development, Smart Classrooms, Data Management and ODeL equipment.
Human Resource Development, Student Welfare and support services, sustainable income generating projects, Community Engagement and Outreach, Environmental sustainability Initiatives, Security and Emergency Preparedness and Amolatar Land Development are other core areas to be considered in the budget, funds allowing.
The End.
