KEETMANSHOOP: The Keetmanshoop Municipality on Tuesday unveiled its budget of N.dollars 296 million for the 2023/2024 financial year, which had received approval from the Ministry of Urban and Rural Development.
Presenting the sanctioned budget to residents and councillors, Lee Mwemba, the head of the information and communication technology division at the municipality’s Electricity Business Unit, stated that in comparison to the previous financial year (2022/2023), the budget had increased from N.dollars 255 million to N.dollars 296 million, reflecting a 13.8 per cent increase.
Mwemba went on to explain that approximately N.dollars 291 million would be sourced from residents for the services provided, while N.dollars 5.8 million constitutes a grant from the line ministry. He detailed that out of the N.dollars 296 million, 42.2 per cent, equivalent to over N.dollars 26 million, is allocated to the electricity budget, and 27.5 per cent, equivalent to N.dollars 79 million, is designated for salaries.
Among
the projects slated for completion in the 2023/2024 financial year are the provision of water, sewage, and electricity services to extension 7, construction of 48 houses through the build-together project, the decommissioning of the town’s dumpsite and the establishment of a landfill, and the enhancement of the water network in the Kronlien residential area.
Mwemba highlighted that factors influencing the approved budget include an increase in bunk tariffs, the town’s growing population, aging infrastructure in the electricity, water, and sewage networks, unemployment, and inflation rates, among other considerations.
As the outgoing municipal acting chief executive officer, Mwemba urged residents to persist in paying their municipal bills, emphasizing that this is crucial for the municipality to fulfill its commitments.
‘What we are presenting here is not actual funds; we are just projecting what we will do if we get the money. So, if all these are not done, do not blame the municipality because we need th
e money from you to deliver all these services,’ he clarified.
Source: The Namibia Press Agency
