Provinces struggling with services due to delay of gov’t funding BUT PS says money is on the way

Government’s delay in paying its quarterly service grants to provinces has seriously affected some provinces.

One provincial leader said like others who relied heavily on the service grant, they are already struggling to deliver services to their people, as the government is delay in the releasing of the grant for the second quarter of the year.

Since March this year, the provinces have yet to receive their service grants, which they use to pay for their employees and the delivery of services.

“Rural people are deprived of equitable allocation of resources and it causes delays to providing services,” one senior official from one of the provincial governments told SBMOnline tody.

The Ministry of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening allocates $60m as part of its grant to the nine provincial governments.

But when asked today, the Permanent Secretary of Provincial Government and Institutional Strengthening Dickson Pirione said he got assurance from the Accountant General this afternoon that payments to the provincial governments were expected to be transferred today.

He acknowledged their concerns stating that he had been in constant contact with MoFT for the funds to be paid to the provinces quickly.

News@SBMOnline2023