Mbarara City North MP Christopher Bakashaba challenged the city council to improve basic services before collecting more taxes from residents and businesses. He made the call during the Mbarara City Budget Conference on Tuesday, where city leaders, officials and community representatives discussed revenue plans for the coming financial year. Bakashaba said he supported efforts to broaden the city's revenue base through new taxes, but said residents must first see improvements in electricity access, roads and clean water.
Bakashaba argued that people would be more willing to pay taxes if they could see the benefits through better infrastructure and fairer access to public services. He pledged to advocate in Parliament for faster electrification in underserved areas of Mbarara City North and urged city planners to work with the Ministry of Energy to extend the electricity grid. Community representatives at the conference also called for more equitable distribution of services across the city's divisions.
Mbarara City's revenue targets have grown significantly. Local revenue targets rose from Shs5.5 billion in the 2021/2022 financial year to Shs10 billion in 2025/2026, with the current target for 2026/2027 standing at Shs12 billion, according to the conference report. City officials outlined plans to use strengthened local revenue collection to finance urban planning and infrastructure projects.