K10.5mil budget passed

 By PETER ESOP WARI

MENDI-Munihu district in the Southern Highlands has approved a K10.5 million budget for the year with infrastructure getting the biggest slice.

Mendi-Munihu MP De Kewano presented K10 million in district support improvement programme fund plus a K500,000 funding for the national government to the joint district planning and budget priorities.

Kewano said the province and district must first have better roads and bridges before other services could be delivered.

He said the budget was focused on priority areas but adjustments had been made to give priority to roads and bridges. 

The National Planning and Implementation Minister Charles Abel has approved it.

Before the adjustments were made, roads and bridges supposed to receive 30% only. But 15% was added giving it the biggest allocation.

“In the past 15 to 20 years, successive MPs have failed to give priority to road and bridges which is the most important infrastructural 

service,” he said.

“And I will make sure it is of number one priority.”

Roads and bridges received K4.5 million, education K1.3 million, health K1.2 million, with economic and agricultural service plus law and justice getting K1 million each.

The remaining K1.5 million will go to other infrastructure and the district administration.

Kewano said the K4.5 million for roads and bridges would be used to purchase excavators and graders. They would be managed by the Mendi-Munihu district 

administration.

He said the existing feeder roads in the district werebuilt with manual labour and machinery was needed to push road development.

He said a good road network would enable subsistence farmers to work hard and access the main markets to sell their garden produce.

It will also allow sick people to reach hospitals and transport equipment to schools and health centres.

He said the national government would handle the two big major road projects in the district – Mendi-Kandep and Mendi-Tambul roads.