MPs want decentralisation policy reviewed

Assistant commissioner in charge of district inspection, Koma Stephen (left) interacting with the Country Director Southern and Eastern Africa Trade Information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) Jane Nalunga (Right) during the workshop on challenges in Local governments.

Members of Parliament on the Local Government Committee are calling for a review of the decentralisation policy to ensure better service delivery.

Julius Ochen, the Kapelebyong county MP said the purpose of decentralisation was to bring services such as education, health, education and infrastructure development closer to people.

He said from their visit to the various local governments across the country, they found that most of the services were not being delivered effectively due to various reasons including finances. “Once the Government fails to implement its promises through financial support to local governments, these governments are bound to fail,” said Ochen.

He said for the center to fulfill its mandate through decentralisation, they must make resources available to enable local governments hire required personal, to work in hospitals, schools and infrastructure among others

He was speaking at the national symposium on local government revenue mobilisation to discuss opportunities and challenges of the local revenue mobilisation and management in Kampala.

The symposium was organised by the Southern and Eastern Africa Trade information and Negotiations Institute (SEATINI) Uganda. The aim was to discuss opportunities and challenges of the local revenue mobilisation and management, create a platform to review and discuss policy issues related to local revenue mobilisation.