Influence of budgetary controls on service delivery in Tororo district local government.

Abstract

Service delivery is the cornerstone of local governments, as it directly affects the well-being and satisfaction of citizens by ensuring access to essential services such as health, education, water and sanitation (Mugabi, 2020). Effective service delivery enhances public trust, promotes good governance, and strengthens the legitimacy of local authorities (Nabwire & Mushemeza, 2021). Governments have made several strategic attempts to enhance service delivery in local governments, particularly through decentralization policies (Tumushabe, 2020). Efforts have also included the implementation of Integrated Financial Management Systems (IFMS) and egovernance platforms(Mugabi, 2020). Additionally, governments have strengthened capacitybuilding programs (Nabwire & Mushemeza, 2021). Furthermore, performance-based budgeting and result-oriented management have been adopted(Langa, 2021). Despite the above relevance of service delivery and the numerous government attempts to enhance it, there still exist persistent challenges and this is seen in FY2022/2023, where TDLG returned close to UGX 6 billion to the national treasury. (Ijjo & Ochieng, 2023), this affects the community in terms of accessibility to essential services which still remains a major challenge, with only 48% of households accessing clean water within 1 km, below the national average (UBOS, 2022).