The parliamentary committee for Local Government and Public Service is conducting oversight visits to all new cities to evaluate their effectiveness. This comes amid growing tension between the authorities of these new cities and the displaced districts that are being asked to relocate their headquarters from the cities.
In 2020, the establishment of 10 new cities resulted in 10 original districts without a central office. As a consequence, tensions have been rising between the two governing bodies.
The Committee on Public Service and Local Government has scheduled oversight visits and meetings to different parts of the country. The committee chaired by Martin Ojara Mapenduuzi has been subdivided into three parts to traverse different directions of the country starting from Masaka, Arua, and Soroti. High on the agenda is an assessment of the functionality of the 10 new cities that came into force in 2021.
Mapenduuzi says the committee is highly invested in resolving disputes between City Authorities and districts that have been displaced by the cities. The committee is particularly concerned about districts that have been unable to relocate their headquarters to areas within their jurisdiction due to a lack of available land. This issue is causing a growing crisis that needs to be addressed.
When the government relocates districts and designates new headquarters, the area automatically becomes a town council. However, the committee of local government is worried that the proper procedures for approving town councils have not been followed in these districts.
The committee is currently investigating the issue of unpaid ex-gratia arrears owed to local council leaders and councilors of local government. Mapenduuzi has noted that the non-payment of honoraria has demoralized these leaders and is leading to problems with service delivery.
Last week, the Minister of Local Government appeared before the same committee outlining the need for a significant amount of Shs120bn to cover unpaid allowances for District and Sub County Councilors, as well as ex-gratia for LC1&2 Chairpersons.
