Don't create more local units, raise funding for existing ones


The rationale of the decentralization policy was to ensure effective service delivery to the citizens at the very local unit. The implementation of this policy in Uganda has been going on for the last 20 years and it is sad that for all these years, service delivery is still poor. The Local governments are financed through three types of grants as per Article 193 of the Constitution; unconditional grants, conditional grants and equalization grants.

The central Government has always transferred money to local governments and these have either come in late or are so tied. When a local government receives a conditional grant of which 97% decision making is a reserve of the Central government, the local government is only left with decision making of only 3% and you expect it to deliver effective services?

The central government should at least transfer 38% to the Local government from the 3% to enhance service delivery. For-instance, If a local government receives money only worth to construct 1km of a road each financial year, it will take 40 years for it to construct a 40km road. This is unacceptable!
The mushrooming districts, municipalities and other local units are eating much into the budget of the local governments as money is spent in administration costs rather than delivering services to the citizens.

There is therefore need for a deliberate decision to cap the creation of more local units and increase funding to the local governments to enhance service delivery otherwise it will be fetching water in a basket creating more local units without adequate resources to run them.

Every citizen deserves effect services delivered to them because they cast their vote and pay taxes too!

Michael Aboneka Jr.

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 9, 2016 at 9:03 AM

    Its like the central government administration is a den of robbers who never mind to serve this nation but feed their stomachs.

    ReplyDelete

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