The Ministry of Local Government (MoLG) is set to commence the induction of newly elected local government leaders in July as part of efforts to strengthen leadership, governance and service delivery under Uganda’s decentralisation system.
The development was announced today during a stakeholders’ meeting on Strengthening Leadership and Governance for Service Delivery in Uganda held at Four Points by Sheraton Kampala and chaired by the Permanent Secretary, Ben Kumumanya.
“We now have resources to undertake this induction and this is a major milestone because previous local government leaders had not been inducted and the effects were visible in leadership and service delivery. For the first time, government is financing a significant portion of the programme unlike before where the biggest support came from development partners,” Kumumanya said.
In his remarks, Kumumanya noted that despite decentralisation playing a major role in promoting democratic governance and political stability, the system continues to face governance and leadership challenges including weak coordination between political and technical leaders, governance conflicts, limited leadership development and gaps in service delivery in some local governments.
Kumumanya said the induction programme is intended to address governance and leadership gaps by equipping newly elected leaders with knowledge and skills in council procedures, accountability, communication, conflict management and service delivery.
He added that the ministry is also promoting continuous leadership development through mentorship, innovation and capacity building.
Stakeholders also emphasized the need for a more contextualised and sustainable approach to leadership development to address the unique governance and service delivery challenges faced by different local governments.
Participants in the meeting also stressed the need for a more enabling environment to support development partners involved in decentralisation and local government capacity building.
Development partners have meanwhile committed to increase both financial and technical support towards governance reforms, leadership development and capacity building initiatives aimed at strengthening local governments and improving service delivery across the country.
The meeting brought together key stakeholders including VNG International, Uganda Local Governments Association (ULGA), Uganda Association of Urban Authorities (UAUA), the Danish Embassy, the World Bank, Accord, Chief Administrative Officers, representatives from local governments, Mountains of the Moon University and other governance actors.
