By Brian Atuhura
Parish Chiefs in Masindi District have been urged to intensify revenue collection efforts to help the district achieve it's target of over Shs 1 billion and improve service delivery.

The call was made by the Chief Administrative Officer Samuel Ruhweza Kaija, during a quarterly revenue meeting held last week on Thursday at the district headquarters.The meeting brought together Parish Chiefs, Senior Assistant Secretaries and Accountants to assess revenue performance and strategies for improvement.

Kaija emphasized the need for Parish Chiefs to spend more time in the field mobilizing and collecting local revenue to ensure the district meets its targets and maintains strong budget performance.He noted that revenue collection remains a key assessment area for local governments each financial year.

He also advised Sub-County leaders to safeguard government land by fencing it, warning that failure to protect public land limits government's ability to implement development projects.

During the meeting,the Chief Finance Officer, David Baguma highlighted several challenges affecting revenue performance.These include:low public awareness about property tax, inadequate property assessments,continued use of cash collection despite the rollout of the Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS),and limited capacity among some supervisors to effectively monitor the digital system.

Baguma stressed the need for full adoption of the digital revenue platform to enhance transparency and efficiency.

Closing the meeting,the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, Jane Akiror,reminded staff of their responsibility to deliver services diligently, noting that they willingly took up their roles and they are expected to perform accordingly.

She further called for stronger collaboration between political leaders and technical staff, saying teamwork is essential if the district is to realize it's revenue goals.