Hoima drivers elect new leaders to manage the park

HOIMA – Drivers, conductors and guides operating in Hoima Taxi and Bus Park in Hoima East division, Hoima City have elected new leaders to manage their affairs in the park after two years of waiting.

Hamfrey Mugisa was elected as the Chairman outcompeting two other contenders in the race.

According to the election results declared by Solomon Kahuma, the Senior Assistant Town Clerk for Hoima East division; who was also the Returning Officer of the elections, Mugisa pulled 190 votes beating his rivals Rashid Tusiime and Kenneth Kwegondeza who got 92 votes and 24 votes respectively.

Julius Mbabazi was elected as Vice Chairperson after garnering 169 votes while his rival Charles Asiimwe Nyakatura got 140 votes. Frank Gugwa was elected as General Secretary after beating Paul Mutegeki with 183 votes to 126 votes.

Meanwhile Charles Irumba and Ivan Mwesige were lucky after they emerged unopposed for the position of Treasurer and Mobilizer respectively.

Kahuma, the Returning Officer explained that the exercise was free, fair and peaceful adding that 646 drivers, conductors and guides were registered for the election. Those who did not register were not allowed to vote.

The elections that were conducted at Hoima Kolping Hotel were by secret ballot.

He explained that the term of the old management of the park expired in 2019 and the drivers were supposed to vote in 2020 but the election was interrupted by the Covid-19 lockdown. He added that the new leadership will serve for three years.

Sources at the park revealed that James Byaruhanga who has been the park Chairperson for the last six years, did not participate in the election because he was recently charged with assault and other election violence by the Hoima Grade one Magistrate.

While addressing the drivers after the election, the Hoima City Resident City Commissioner, Samuel Kisembo Ayesiga commended the drivers for electing their leaders and called on the new leaders to mobilize all the automobile operators in the park to get organized and form a Saving and Credit Cooperative Organization (SACCO) to push for their development.

He revealed that the former park management had failed to manage the park affairs adding that with the new regime, they expect better service delivery in the park. He noted that drivers in the area have missed on several government programs due to lack of unity and poor management.

Speaking after the election, Mugisa commended the drivers and others for their trust and promised to work with all people operating in the park to ensure security, discipline and better sanitation at the park.

He explained that the issue of indiscipline, insecurity and poor sanitation in the park is still a big challenge which needs to be addressed.

He also promised to work with the city leaders to get a way of addressing the challenge of drivers parking their taxis outside the park which sometimes causes congestion in the town.

“We are going to have regulations guiding all the operations in our park so as to restore sanity in the area,” he said.

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Farmers from newly created sub counties demand for Government Extension workers

AMURU – Farmers in newly created Lakang and Layima sub-counties in Amuru district are demanding for deployment of extension workers to boost their agricultural knowledge.

The two sub-counties were curved out of Amuru County last financial year. They are known for massive production of rice, groundnuts, maize and soya beans.

Cosmas Apuke, the LC III Chairperson of Layima sub-county says, all along farmers in Layima sub-county have not been receiving agricultural extension services from the government extension workers.

According to Apuke, this has affected the quality of agricultural products due to the limited knowledge possessed by the farmers.

“We have majorly been relying on experts from private farms who have been supporting us as a corporate social responsibility which cannot be sufficient for farmers to ensure quality adequate knowledge which manifests in the quality of goods they produce,” Apuke observes.

Denis Oringa, a resident of Palema Trading Center in Layima sub-county says, many people have opened shops selling agricultural inputs without giving them any clear information on how to apply the inputs like chemicals on their gardens and mixing drugs for treatment of their animals and birds.

“Several agricultural input dealers have opened up shops here aware that we lack expert knowledge to help us. What bothers me is that they are not qualified to help us, yet we go to them because we can’t easily access the government extension workers who should advise us on which quantity of input we can use for us to get high yields but also quality of products,” Oringa explains.

According to Oringa, if government extension workers are accessible, they would help fill the gap of fake or uneducated agricultural input dealers who are taking advantage of the situation, yet negatively impacting on the quality of their farm products.

Anthony Oringa, the LCIII Chairperson of Lakang sub-county says, on several occasions, he has made contacts with the district to ensure the extension workers are deployed.

“Lakang has very fertile land and would be a great advantage if the farmers have the right right knowledge,” says Oringa.

He further says, the major effect has been felt on the quality of the goods which has seen middlemen produce buyers take advantage of and play around with prices.

Michael Lakony, the LCV Chairperson Amuru district says, the district has currently deployed two extensions workers, Julius Otim for crops and Bruce Nokrach for veterinary services who are working in the sub-counties of Amuru, Lakang and Layima. There are plans for each sub-county to have one extension worker.

“Currently due to the limited human resource, we have deployed two extension workers to serve the three sub-counties. We have made sure that we have both crops and veterinary experts to help our farmers who have been attributing the low quality of products to the limited knowledge,” Lakony notes.

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Commissioner of transport rallies taxi operators to form a national association

The commissioner in charge of transport, regulation, and safety, under the Ministry of Works and Transport, Winston Katushabe, has appealed to taxi operators to form a national body to address issues related to the taxi industry.

Katushabe made this remark while guiding taxi owners, drivers, and conductors operating in Mbarara, Bushenyi, and Ntungamo on how to formulate the constitution that will regulate them to elect the national leadership.

He said the proposed national taxi association is a presidential directive issued in 2018 as a result of a number of challenges affecting the taxi industry.

“This meeting is a result of the earlier directives issued by the president that; all taxi operators must form one body. This will enable them to have one voice while engaging with the government so that their concerns are addressed as a group on matters regarding the industry,” said Katushabe

He also said, most times tax operators engage in numerous fights because of leadership wrangles that must be addressed by the apex body.

“Findings show that there were many factions within the taxi industry which led to fights and harassment. We also witnessed that there was also a lot of extortion of money from the operators including the collected fees as a result of improper leadership,” He emphasized

Katushabe also said, by registering and forming an apex body, buses and boda-boda will follow suit so as to reorganize the transport sector in Uganda.

“We’ve started with the taxi industry but we are also moving to the boda-bodas to organize the transport industry,” He said

The commissioner concluded by saying that the formation of the taxi operators’ association will give birth to a national SACCO and the government is willing to support it.

“Mbarara Taxi Operators gave us good insights into the draft constitution and we shall integrate their views such that they are able to hold elections by 2022. Thereafter, they will have an apex body to address concerns of the industry at the national level and also be able to form a national SACO to boost their financial capacity,” Katushabe said.

Robert Beyagira, the Chairperson of the South Western Union Taxi Transporters Association [SWTODA] appealed to the Ministry to grant them enough time before approving the draft constitution.

“We were notified on short notice, yet we are leaders representing a number of our colleagues who have not attended this meeting. This means we shall be grilled if we don’t get back to them to agree on what to include in this constitution. It’s not just a matter of signing, we need to sign what all members in the taxi industry understand” Beyagira said.

I also advocate for a change of some of the clauses in the draft constitution like a five-year term of office to be dropped to at least three years.

Besides, any eligible taxi owner must be allowed to lead the association instead of the assertion that a person must have at least 10 taxis to be able to lead the Association, demanded Beyagira.

Aaron Kwikiriza, the Secretary of SWTODA, welcomed the government’s proposal to constitute a legal Association that will be mandated with representing taxi operators and the taxi park-related business.

“Under a national umbrella, our hope is to restore sanity and develop the taxi industry. All these mushrooming associations are a result of internal conflicts. Whenever there is a disagreement, others register and form another association,” says Kwikiriza.

While presiding over the consultative meeting, Lt Col James Mwesigye, the Resident City Commissioner [RCC] Mbarara warned the Ministry of Works to focus on the regional balance of the taxi representation at the national level to prevent any fracas from the taxi operators.

“You have always favored people from Kampala but this time we are not going to accept. They form committees where you will find the Chairman is from Kampala, Treasurer-Kampala, Secretary-Kampala; why always Kampala? This time around, we are not just by passers but we also need effective representation” Mwesigye emphasized.

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Shs5 billion project to boost livestock farming in Acholi

Countryside Harvest, through its new project, has supplied 180 animals with the intention to improve animal production in the Acholi sub-region.

The five-year support project will be implemented through a partnership business venture between Countryside Harvest and farmers in the Acholi sub-region.

Moses Omara, the Acholi sub-region, Operation Manager told theCooperator in an interview that the UK government has invested Shs5 billion into the project.

The joint venture business module comprises 3 farmers who have to pay 600,000 to 660,000 as a commitment fee before they are given a Friesian cow for milk production.

Meanwhile, for piggery, farmers are expected to contribute to the Organisation Shs.110,000 and they are given two piglets.

Omara revealed that a total of 180 animals have so far been given to the farmers which include 103 dairy cows, 62 piglets, and 10 goats between August 2021 and December when the project was launched.

“We have spent more than Shs.300 million and we hope that this will improve animal production in the region and enhance the livelihoods of our farmers,” Omara told theCooperator.

Emmanuel Okane, a final year student of Agri Entrepreneurship at Gulu University received two piglets.

He says, he looks at piggery as an investment considering that the high demand for pork in the Country makes it a lucrative business.

Cresencia Oryem, another farmer from Nwoya district at Lungulu sub-county who received 10 goats says, she is hoping to begin earning millions of shillings from her livestock farming.

The Project Officer for the Organisation, Francis Okello says, the beneficiaries were taken through a three months training on animal production and livestock management before being supported.

However, he advised the farmers to take good care of the animals to improve their livelihoods.

Lambert Oola, the Acting Veterinary Officer for Gulu City urged the beneficiaries to invest in the health care of their animals and also to properly feed them if they are to avoid diseases.

He explained that most of the dairy cows in the area are underfed which he says, is affecting milk production and artificial insemination as most of the animals go on silent heat.

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Chinese investors construct Shs17.5billion modern abattoir in Kiruhura district

Sino Modern Agriculture Development Group Limited has constructed Zhong Wu beef abattoir at Nshara Industrial Park, in Nyakasharara sub-county Nyabushozi county with a target on the beef market in the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC].

The modern beef facility in Kiruhura district cost the Chinese company Shs.17.5billion.

While commissioning the facility, Hon Bright Rwamirama, the State Minister for Animal Industry said, the new modern abattoir will address beef market challenges in the region.

“Meat in Uganda is much cheaper than in DRC where a kilogram goes for as high as Shs.60,000. So, now that we have commissioned this factory, farmers will reap much more from their animals,” said Rwamirama.

Rwamirama also added that the abattoir in place will cement the continued bilateral trade relations between Uganda and DR Congo.

“What we are doing now is formalizing our trade between DRC and Uganda, because traditionally we have been exporting cattle to Congo. During the last Christmas season, we exported more than 13,000 cows through our borders just in a period of three days but now that we are going to start exporting beef, we don’t need to meet the European standards; instead, we shall benefit a lot from the regional market” Rwamirama said.

The Minister also encouraged farmers to focus on bull fattening and ensure good animal health to maintain the international market.

“I request the farmers to stop exonerating bulls from their farms but instead fatten them for slaughter because this abattoir requires 300 heads of cattle every day. So, I urge farmers to improve the genetic breeds to make sure that we have high-yielding animals both for dairy and beef in order to sustain the market,” he said.

Francis Mwebesa, the Minister of Trade Industry and Cooperatives applauded the Chinese for industrializing Uganda.

“As the government, we welcome the effort by Zhong Wu beef abattoir which is Chinese investment in the country. Their activities fit into our overall policy for industrialization, commercial farming, and international trade” Mwebesa said.

The Minister also encouraged the investors to provide expertise to local Ugandans to provide the necessary input that uplifts their income.

“This abattoir and its commercial undertaking are a significant addition to our trade relations. It should therefore be a strong source of motivation to both governmental and individual investors,” Mwebesa advised

He further called upon the people of Kiruhura and elsewhere to fully utilize the constructed modern abattoir commissioned in the district.

“I call upon the people of this area to begin operationalizing the facility which is located in their community. I encourage you to focus on cattle farming since you have a beef market across the border” said Mwebesa

Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries [MAAIF], challenged farmers to invest in farm value addition.

“The value chain helps the farmer to be sensitive to what the market requires. At MAAIF, we want to follow the value chain approach. If it is beef which is still the undeveloped aspect of the value chain, we should ask ourselves what we can do to prepare our cows for the beef market?” asked Tumwebaze

Dr. Anna Rose Ademun, the Commissioner of Animal Health confirmed that the government is planning to establish inland export quarantines and abattoirs to check on the quality of beef we supply to the market.

“Abattoirs have been established but most times the challenge is the inability to supply the required quantity of livestock, in the right category of weights and age. So, we are going to solve this by having an inland export quarantine, whereby the cattle for export can be held for 30 days, treated, vaccinated, and fed until when the animals have gained weight for export,” said Ademun.

Farmers from Kiruhura district being one of the cattle corridor districts in the Ankole sub-region, welcomed the new beef factory that will motivate them to shift from their cultural orientation of keeping cattle for only dairy products to also focusing on beef products to tap on the new market.

“In the past, our parents only relied on dairy cattle. Now we must accept change and start rearing bulls for increased beef supply from our district,” said Steven Kakuru

Prof Ephraim Kamuntu, a Presidential Advisor in charge of economic affairs said, the government’s Nshara ranch that only breeds Ankole local cattle was previously planned for such beef investments.

“Nshara ranch had its target on a wide market in future and with such a justified modern abattoir you can count how many beef cattle are required every day to satisfy the market” Kamuntu challenged farmers.

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Lango diocese receive 21 priests, and deacons

Lango Diocese has ordained 21 priests and deacons to join Christian ministry work in northern Uganda.

The diocesan Bishop, Prof Alfred Olwa presided over the ceremony which saw 14 deacons ordained priests, and 7 seminarians ordained deacons.

Two journalists who were working with Lira-based Radio Unity were among those ordained to become deacons.

They include Kami Nelson Okonya who holds a master’s degree in divinity and Auma Alice Prisca with a bachelor’s degree in divinity.

Okonya was assigned as the Bishop’s Chaplain and Auma as Curate of St Augustine Barogole in Lira City.

Those who were ordained priests include; Daniel Olet Bura, Geoffrey Ocen, Haggard Emuny, Shadrack Ogwal, James Gweng, John Alfred Ogwal, Santos Amone, Boniface Opio, Moses Ogwal, Akii Walter, Alex Okello, Geoffrey Ogwang, Stephen Opua, and Anthony Ogwal.

The deacons include; Mayanja Olap, Bosco Obonyo, Auma, Job Okeng, Okonya, Gad Aaron Oyuku, and Jimmy Pule. Okeng is the son of Bishop emeritus of West Lango diocese, Alfred Acur Okodi.

Lira City Mayor, Sam Atul welcomed the newly ordained clergies and advised them to work towards shaping the citizens of this country and fight moral decay in the community.

Atul urged the church to work hard to improve the education and health of the population since they are the pillars of development.

“We are also aware that the church is interested in the health of its people, therefore as political leaders we must collaborate and join hands to champion the fight against immorality,” he added.

He advised the incoming Synod members to be united if they are to improve the welfare of the clergy saying, they should mobilize Christians to contribute Shs.5,000 monthly.

He said every parish in the Lango diocese has 250 mature and committed Christians and if the proposal is endorsed, the diocese will receive Shs.82m monthly. The diocese has 66 parishes with 1,650 committed members.

“Let us leave it at the disposal of the Bishop so that he builds an endowment fund that can help to manage the welfare of the clergy,” he added.

Bishop Acur Okodi urged the new clergy to prepare people for eternity, not just this world.

He said there could be various motivations for people to accept ministry and there are people who appear to be called and yet they have joined as job seekers to make a living through the priesthood and church work.

He said, if anyone has come with that wrong motivation, he or she should turn over and begin to go upright to serve the King of the universe.

Bishop Acur urged them to be firm, immovable, and never be diverted to serve other things other than God.

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Lack of national IDs frustrating EACOP compensation process

Hoima – The East African Crude Oil Pipeline [EACOP] project affected persons [PAPs] in the Bunyoro region who missed out on the national identification cards [IDs] are finding it hard to process their compensation.

According to the officials, more than 200 PAPs along the EACOP route are unable to open bank accounts due to a lack of national identification cards.

This was revealed during a regional dialogue on the human rights situation in the oil and gas sector organized by Civic Response on Environment and Development [CRED] in partnership with Advocate San Frontiers [ASF], Oxfam Uganda, and Navigators of Development Association [NAVODA].

The meeting was aimed at sharing information about the progress of the project, discussing the particulars of the human rights situation in the project location, and developing strategies to address the concerns of the communities.

Speaking during the meeting Nanu Beatrice, one of the projects affected persons from Kyakaboga village in Hoima district explained that, her property that includes land, trees, and maize plantation were affected by the project and was due for compensation.

However, when she was asked to open a bank account by the EACOP Project Implementers, her attempts to open a bank account with different financial institutions were futile since she does not have a national identity card.

Innocent Tumwebaze, the Chairman for the Oil Refinery Residents Association [ORRA] noted that more than 10 people on their side in Hoima failed to open bank accounts due to a lack of national identity cards.

Those who failed to acquire national identity cards include but are not limited to the few; Christine Berochan, Beatrice Nanu, Okyaya Kimungu, Kevina Ayerango, Damian Odaga, Jacqueline Okello, and Charles Onyutih.

He noted that most of these people are vulnerable women who are unable to follow up with the process of securing their national identity cards and are now demanding that the government should intervene to help them.

The Executive Director of NAVODA explained that several people were left during the national identification card registration process on the grounds that they were not Ugandans.

She further noted that tribal sentiments in the region made several people miss out on national identification cards and now it is affecting their compensation.

He says that since national identification cards are a prerequisite for one to open up a bank account, many are in dilemma adding that there is fear that they will miss out on their compensation.

During the National ID registration process, many people were left out because they were unable to speak the local Runyoro. In such incidents, they were called Congolese or Munyarwanda.

Hoima and Kikuube have many immigrants from Bunfumbira, Kisoro, and West Nile. These people have been waiting for the government to resume the registration process to clear them but this has not been done.

Bashir Twesigye, the Executive Director of CRED described this challenge as one of human rights violations in the oil and gas sector.

He added that apart from the issues of National IDs, many PAPs have failed to process their compensation due to a lack of letters of administration.

He noted that most of the PAPS are vulnerable and they are unable to follow up issues related to documentation. They challenged EACOP to take responsibility and engage the government to get a way of helping them.

“On the issue of identification, I find it very bad for a project to come and impose a huge responsibility on the poor who do not know how to read and write to process documents if they are to be compensated,” said Twesigye.

Fred Bazarabusa, the Land Acquisition Officer [LAO] for the EACOP project says, they are currently engaging the National Identification & Registration Authority [NIRA] and government to get a way of helping the affected persons to ensure a smooth implementation of the project.

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Government supports 2000 vulnerable households in Gulu City with food relief

Gulu – The government of Uganda through the Office of the Prime Minister has delivered 30,000 kilograms of food items to support vulnerable households in Gulu City.

The items include 10,000 kilograms of beans and 20,000 kilograms of posho meant for 2,000 households.

Each household received 5 kilograms of beans and 10 kilograms of posho, Monday afternoon at the different distribution points within the division.

Martin Ojara Mapenduzi, the area Member of Parliament for Bardege-Layibi Division told theCooperator in an interview that, the support is directed to elderly persons, child-headed families, and persons with disabilities.

“As leaders of the division, we requested the government to support our people with food items and am happy the Prime Minister didn’t delay to support such families,” Ojara said.

He explained that the division is hosting a number of vulnerable persons, most of whom are elderly persons and single mothers that require government support to improve their living conditions.

Pauline Kilama, the Publicity Secretary for LC1, Kasubi Central noted that most of the occupants are urban refugees and returnees from the two-decade northern Uganda war who are unable to return home. She commended the government for supporting the vulnerable population.

Madalena Lalam, a 90-year-old from Kasubi Central who lost all her children at the peak of the insurgency says, as an elderly person, she has been struggling to feed herself and appreciated the support.

Her counterpart Grace Lakot, who equally lost four of her children during the war says the relief will at least support her for a while.

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Seventy Kingdom subjects skilled for oil and gas opportunities

HOIMA – Seventy drivers from Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom [BKK] have completed a three-month vigorous training program in driving heavy goods vehicles as one way of promoting local content in the oil and gas sector.

The training was initiated following a partnership between Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom and China National Offshore Oil Corporation [CNOOC] Uganda Ltd.

Kingfisher Field Development area is spread over approximately 344km2 in the Lake Albert Rift Basin in western Uganda.

The oil field is situated on the eastern bank of Lake Albert, which acts as a border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]. It was discovered by the Kingfisher-1 wildcat well in 2006.

The training was initiated following several demands to Oil Companies and government by Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom officials to skill their subjects to be able to tap into upcoming oil and gas opportunities.

The trained divers from Hoima, Masindi, Kiryandongo, Buliisa, Kikuube, Kagadi, Kakumiro, and Kibaale the eight districts that form the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom were awarded certificates in accordance with the East African Community curriculum. The beneficiaries were trained by Uganda Driving Standards Agency [UDSA]. Out of the 70 graduates, six were females.

Mathew Kyaligonza, the National Content Manager for CNOOC Uganda Ltd explained that their partnership with the Kingdom started after realizing the Kingdom subjects were being left out on the training.

According to him, in the year 2020, they trained seventy people but unfortunately, only three were from the Bunyoro Kingdom yet the first priority was to be given to host communities.

He noted that CNOOC is committed to preparing the people of Bunyoro to see that they get involved in the oil and gas business.

He promised that next year the Company will train 110 drivers adding that the Kingdom will be responsible for the selection of the beneficiaries.

“This year we have trained 70, next year we are going train 110, we are making an addition of 40 and we are going together with the Kingdom to use the same arrangement where we shall get beneficiaries from the Kingdom in addition to Nwoya district; we are giving priority as national content objective to host communities to ensure that our people benefit,” he said.

Kyaligonza explained that apart from the trained drivers, the Company [CNOOC] partnered with Uganda Petroleum Institute Kigumba and Uganda Technical College Kichwamba and trained 84 teachers in their trainers’ program.

These teachers were trained and in return, they will train students in different skills such as mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, and petroleum engineering.

He added that the Company, working with the Albertine region Vocation Training Institutes [VTIs] have managed to train 42 teachers adding that the 42 teachers will help in training your children with vocational skills to the international level.

He added that the Company is also training 120 welders from Bunyoro who will help in welding East African Crude Oil Pipeline [EACOP].

“We are doing all these to prepare the people of Bunyoro so that they can benefit from the sector, even after the oil and gas, our children will remain empowered and able to migrate abroad and work in other factories,” said Kyaligonza.

Mutiti Nyendwoha, the first deputy Prime Minister for the Bunyoro Kitara Kingdom Commended CNOOC for the initiative because the Kingdom has been longing for the empowerment of her people.

He said, there is still a need to prepare the Kingdom subjects for the upcoming oil and gas opportunities since the discovery of oil and gas has created a lot of excitement and anxiety among the people.

He also challenged the Kingdom subjects to engage in commercial Agriculture to produce enough to be able to supply the oil and gas sector.

Thousands of people are expected to come here once the production phase kicks off, these people will need food, accommodation, medication, eggs, and meat, so we need to engage in production to avoid importing them from other areas.

Nambazira Teopista Jolly, one of the beneficiaries from Kakumiro district commended CNOOC for the training.

She noted that this was a big opportunity for Bunyoro, especially women who have always been left out based on their gender.

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Local government administrators want approval of local revenue decentralized

Administrators of local governments in Acholi sub-region want Parliament to decentralize approval of locally raised revenue.

This they say will improve the implementation of planned activities.

Currently, all local governments in the country deposit all locally generated revenue to the Bank of Uganda before requesting for it through the Ministry of Finance with the approval of Parliament, and it’s then disbursed to the districts for implementation of government programs.

Thomson Obong, the Chief Administrative Officer [CAO] Amuru district says, currently, several planned district activities are stalling because they haven’t received funds under local revenue from the Ministry of Finance.

In this financial year ending June 2022, Amuru district council approved local revenue of Shs.240 million but collected more than Shs.1 billion with the balance deposited in the consolidated fund with Bank of Uganda.

In November 2021, the district council passed a supplementary budget of Shs.800 million which was sent to the Ministry of Finance but still awaiting parliament’s approval, says Obong.

However, the Speaker of Parliament Hon. Jacob Oulanyah sent the house on recess for the Christmas break.

Obong further said, as a result, some of the activities that were planned have been affected and they include but are not limited to; payment of committee allowances of councilors, monitoring, procurement of fuel among others.

If local governments are to improve on their service delivery, it’s important that the government and parliament consider decentralizing approval of local revenues to local councils with strict monitoring from the central government, says Obong.

“Just imagine how we are going to operate without funds for our various activities because we were told to wait for parliament’s approval of funds; parliament has gone on recess and will return for operations in January next year,” says Obong.

“I feel it would be prudent that approval of local revenues is decentralized, and we present accountability to Parliament and government because otherwise, we will continue to perform poorly in terms of service delivery to the communities we are serving” Obong adds

Moses Otimong, the acting Town Clerk, Gulu City in a recent interview also proposed that parliament should consider decentralizing approval of local revenues.

Otimong says, currently the city seeks approval of more than Shs.1.2 billion supplementary budgets to fund their activities in the city.

Otimong says the continuous system of operation has continued to hurt the local governments and, in the end, cheat the community members who should be benefiting from the revenues they collect.

Michael Lakony, the Amuru district LCV Chairperson says, this has portrayed local government leaders as people who are poor performers which manifests in high turnover in election losses, especially by the LCV Chairpersons.

Among more than the 120 LCV Chairpersons who contested in this year’s elections, only about 20 retained their positions.

According to Lakony, Parliament needs to repeal the act in the Public Finance Management Act which bars local governments from budgeting and approval of local revenues.

“Many people perceive the political leaders in the local government as corrupt, and poor service providers and yet, in reality, there’s no actual cash at their disposal to run their respective local governments” Lakony notes

“The problem I foresee in our struggle is that most MPs look at local government leaders as their competitors which makes it very tricky for them to allow funds for full operations” Lakony adds

Emmanuel Orach, the LCV Chairperson Nwoya district says, the delays to release funds from the central government are manifested in poor road conditions, lack of monitoring especially for the Councilors and the Office of the LCV Chairpersons.

“The community members do not want to know whether there’s a delay in the release of funds from the central government; what they want to see is bad roads being rehabilitated, their leaders monitoring government programs. This is a huge dilemma for us as local government leaders. Government has to review this practice so that general service delivery is improved to the communities that we serve ” Orach notes.

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