{UAH} Statement of the Shadow Minister of Local Government Hon Bakireke Nambooze on creation of new municipalities.

Statement of the Shadow Minister of Local Government Hon Bakireke Nambooze on creation of new municipalities.

 

Rt Hon Speaker, Development of urban centers even if it is to be through creation of new municipalities has been featuring in our alternative ministerial policies for the last 3years.  Our argument has been and still is that we would even turn all the local governments in the greater Kampala metropolitan area into municipalities. We have also proposed for the creation of regional cities which would ease the pressure on Kampala city and also cater for the challenge of unplanned urbanization.

We therefore support this motion in principal but we desist the manner in which these particular municipalities are being created. If I read the mind of my minister and the would be recipients properly ,it seems for them they are interested in creating municipalities as electoral areas to bring in this "kafunda" more MPs ,give our people more mayors, division chairpersons and councilors . Municipalities in this contest will be an additional burden on the tax payer and this would be immoral.

For us in the opposition, we are thinking about big municipalities which are big in size catering for a big population and a sizably developed town council. We have never thought about a junction with ten shops to be declared municipalities, like it is going to happen in the case of Koboko.  Our understanding of a municipality is for example elevating what we have known to be Kyadondo East to a municipal status with Nangabo Sub County becoming a division.

The municipality of Mukono would be what was Mukono North. Allowing municipalities to take over their rural neighborhoods would facilitate proper planning  as town planners would first plan and develop the rural parts to allow migration of people from the old part of the town to the newly developed area and then redesign the old part to fit into a new arrangement. What we are doing now of just declaring slums into municipalities creates a very big problem for city managers as they try to redevelop the already occupied slums without giving the people an alternative.

The opposition is of the view that we should be declaring municipalities for the poor people not for rich men to go and take over land originally belonging to schools, markets, road reserves and poor man's bibanja.

Local government technical capacity

Local government technical capacity is weak due to the low numbers of core staff in position. The situation is dire if the local government system is looked at as a whole. Currently 33 Districts do not have a CAO and 3 Municipal Councils do not have a Town Clerk; 56 districts do not have a Chief Finance Officer (CFO) and 6 Municipal Councils do not have a Principal Treasurer; 55 Districts do not have a District Planner and 9 Municipal Councils do not have a Senior Planner; and 56 Districts and 3 Municipal Councils do not have a Principal Internal Auditor. (Source: MoLG, Ministerial Policy Statement FY 2014/2015, pp. 331-334).

This is unacceptable. The vacant positions should be filled and accountants and internal auditors should be assisted to obtain professional qualifications in order to enhance technical accountability.

Today, Municipalities are created with names of people tagged on them as their MPs in what is referred to as gerrymandering. Mr Speaker this is wrong and it borders on vote rigging.  We therefore need a clear policy of How, When and Where a municipality can be created.

Evidence is available to indicate that the Local Government Minister wrote to selected town councils and directed them to move motions in favor of their elevation to municipalities with instructions that extended to details such as the number of divisions that should be in those municipalities.

We demand for fairness. If we are to create towns to cate for our people who are migrating to urban areas, let it be done fairly in the whole country. For example, we support the elevation of the traditional towns in all regions to the level of municipalities and plan to fund them accordingly. We also demand for the implementation of the constitution of Article 176(4)(a) which requires creation of Mengo municipality for Buganda away from Kampala

Rt Hon Speaker, creation of new municipalities should move in tandem with increase in funding.

Mr Speaker, it would be dangerous for us to sit here and begin declaring areas municipalities. Otherwise, we need to visit these areas, talk to the intended beneficially, and consider their local revenue so that we can decide from an informed point of view. Yesterday, we referred very good constitutional reform proposals and saved them for the next parliament. I therefore suggest that we save this very good motion for consideration by the next parliament which will have time to look into all this.

Rt Hon Speaker, I beg to move.

--

H.OGWAPITI
-----------------------------------------------------
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that  we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic  and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
---Theodore Roosevelt

--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com or Abbey Semuwemba at: abbeysemuwemba@gmail.com.