The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Moroto, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Local Council chairpersons in Karamoja sub-region are frustrated over the lack of official vehicles to execute their duties and monitor government programs.
The LCV chairpersons say that they are forced to share motor vehicles with other departments in the district, especially the vehicles of Chief Administrative Officers, Production, and Health Departments.
However recently, the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industries, and Fisheries warned the Amudat LCV chairperson to stop using the vehicle for the district production department for his official duties.
Joseph Lobot, the Amudat LCV chairperson says that he has been using the vehicle from the district production department but recieved a letter on December 12th, 2022 from the Ministry of Agriculture ordering him to stop using the production department vehicles.
Lobot says that they have a lot of tasks to meet but the lack of transport means has frustrated their work and it is unfortunate that the government has decided to pay deaf ears to their pleas.
“We use these vehicles to execute our official duties not private work but I wonder how a government ministry can issue such a letter to me even when they know our challenges,” Lobot lamented.
Lobot says that they have met President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni many times over the same crisis all in vain. He appealed to the president to deliver on the pledge he made to them last year when they met at Morulinga state lodge in Napak district.
Paul Komol Lote, the Kotido LCV chairperson says that he uses a vehicle that was donated to the COVID-19 district task force to support the general hospital, which sometimes is also overused by the health department.
Komol notes that they have a lot of community engagement to sensitize them about government programs and peace dialogues among others. He however says that he has not been able to fulfill some of the assignments due to the lack of transport, which is frustrating service delivery in his district.
Paul Lokol, the Nabilatuk LCV chairperson noted that they are struggling with district officials who are very old and problematic in terms of keeping the costs. Lokol appealed to the government to come up with a policy of disposing of old cars because it is costing them a lot of money for repairs.
On June 14th, 2022, while meeting with political leaders, security personnel, religious leaders, and Opinion leaders from the Karamoja region at his Morulinga State Lodge in Napak district, President Museveni promised to buy eleven vehicles for the nine districts of Karamoja and two municipalities but this is yet to fulfill.
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