HON. RAPHAEL MAGYEZI URGES LOCAL GOVERNMENTS TO RESPECT THE LAW
The Minister of Local Government Raphael Magyezi has urged Local Government Accounting officers to guide councils to operate within the boundaries of the law. The Minister pointed out instances of gross violations against legal provisions such as Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons holding additional portfolios as Secretaries in their Executive Committees, failure to constitute new standing committees of council, spending more than 20% of locally generated revenue to fund emoluments and allowances of Chairpersons and councillors among others.
The Minister made these remarks during a one-day quarterly meeting of Local Government Accounting Officers held at Hotel Africana on 23rd February 2024.
The Minister also expressed disappointment that he continued to receive council resolutions approving the creation of new administrative units contrary to government’s position.
“As an officer of government, please know that there is nothing like new district, new city, new municipality, new town councils as we head to 2026. The only ones we are looking at are those that were already created and yet to be operationalized,” he stressed.
The Minister also announced that the elections for Administrative Units Councils (LC1 and LC2) are being aligned with the general elections which are due in 2026. The Term of office for the Administrative Unit Councils which initially expired on 10th July 2023 have already been extended twice, each time for 180 days as permitted by law.
He however warned that extension of the term of office does not permit the Local Council
Mr. Ben Kumumanya, the PS Ministry of Local Government addressing Commercial and Production Officers at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala on Friday
In response to issues undermining production and household income such as the escalating livestock diseases like foot and mouth disease (FMD), Mr. Kumumanya said that Local Government officials who look for solutions to development challenges from Central government officials are enemies of decentralisation.
He said that failure by communities to appreciate the role of extension services had greatly undermined the second objective of decentralisation which was intended to, among others, promote peoples’ feelings of ownership of programmes and projects.
He urged the officers to promote participation by all the sectors of the society in Local Economic Development (LED) which was introduced to enhance people’s incomes and widen the local tax base.
He specifically pointed out that Secretaries for Production, were nearly redundant at the time when they are supposed to be at the forefront of leading the LED agenda.
“Initiate, catalyse and drive processes that engage stakeholders in envisioning the future, you must provoke members of the society, the farmers, the traders to participate in their development,” he advised. The PS commended the production Officers for keeping the boat a float. “There is no sinking…amidst all challenges, you have held on to the docket and are contributing to the social economic transformation of Uganda.”
Ambassador Philip Idro, the Presidential Advisor on Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) also appealed to the production and commercial officers to explore the vast opportunities provided by regional markets. He advised them to work with the right partners find interventions within the available resources so that they can change the equation in Uganda.
Dr. Edward Katende the Executive Director of Uganda Development Forum who represented the National Coordinator of the Parish Development Model (PDM) recognised the efforts of the production and commercial officers in the implementation of the PDM in past one year.
“We have registered 10,594 PDM SACCOs and capitalised 10, 585, you have supported our people to disburse 1.018 trillion to 1 million households. Our tasks now is to ensure that the enterprises that we have invested in are implemented,” he said.
Beneficiaries who access financing under the Parish Revolving Fund (PRF) are allowed to invest in any of the seven key areas which include food crops, fruits, poultry, apiculture, piggery, diary and coffee.
Mr. Katende emphasised that each district is expected to undertake enterprise selection and prioritise only three enterprises based on profitability, availability of market, land and agro-ecological suitability.
The Production officers, through their national Coordinator, Dr. Fred Mukulu, from Mukono district were grateful that PDM came with both the resources and structures that boosted their efforts. He reported that in a record one month, PDM had established and funded 300,000 village enterprise groups, over 1 million active beneficiary households and over 50,000 PDM SACCOs. A section of participants who turned up for the one-day meeting of production and Commercial officers
“Previously we would struggle to create one (savings) group per subcounty per year, but PDM has created for us tens of thousands of groups, an average of 2,000- groups per district. Five years from now, each PDM SACCO will be operating a 700 million revolving fund.” He boasted.
A section of participants who attended the one day consultative meeting at the Imperial Royal Hotel. (Photo Credit: Ceaser Mukasa)
James Kigozi, the Principal Commercial officer Mubende Municipal Council and the National Coordinator of Commercial Officers accused most central government agencies of not involving Local governments in their interventions a practice, he says, has negatively affected the sustainably of such programmes.
The Production Department in the Local Government is in charge of implementing production policies, regulations and programmes; delivering farming, production, marketing extension services to the population and the management of production facilities through inspection, repair and re-development.
The department of Trade, Industry and Local Economic Development (TLED) also known as the commercial department is responsible for facilitating the process of wealth creation and increasing citizen’s income levels through the operationalisation of LED at the Local Government level. The department Initiates development projects and market linkages in tourism, trade and Industry.
The meeting was held at Imperial Royale Hotel, Kampala on Friday 9th February, 2024.
