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Masaka, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The interim leadership of Masaka city is pushing for specific laws to govern the operations of the newly created cities.
In April, Parliament approved the creation of Masaka, Jinja, Arua, Mbarara, Mbale, Gulu and Fort Portal Cities.
Others including Entebbe, Moroto, Nakasongola, Kabale and Wakiso will be operationalized in 2022 and 2023.
Masaka city leaders led by Godfrey Kayemba, the mayor are demanding that the government addresses the legal contradictions in the operations of the cities for effective management.
They argue that the guidelines that were issued by the Ministry of Local Government lack a legal force because no law specifically provides for the institutional and legal regime for cities.
Kayemba says that the new cities should be allowed to operate independently from the other local governments whose structures are sometimes intertwined despite having unique challenges affecting each of them.
Janet Nakisseka, the Masaka LCV female councilor for Katwe-Butego division demands that the newly created urban councils are directly linked to the central government for effective governance.
She argues that their experience with the Ministry of Local Government has been characterized by unwanted inadequacies that have affected service delivery in the local governments.
Herman Ssentongo, the Masaka Resident District Commissioner says that the roles of the respective leaders and departments should be spelt out clearly in the regulations to avoid confusion.
Paddy Joseph Walter, the commissioner of urban development in the Ministry of Land, Housing and Urban Development says that there are joint consultations by all relevant ministries with the stakeholders towards harmonizing the governance of the new cities.
In Entebbe, during a consultative meeting held on Wednesday by the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development on the development of legal and institutional framework for cities and metropolitan areas in Uganda, Tom Magumba, the Entebbe town clerk says that the regulations should include the need for a specific ministry that will manage operations of the new cities.
Vincent Byendamira, the director physical planning and urban development at the lands ministry says that they will hold consultative meetings in the other cities and urban areas over the matter.
Last month, the Ministry of Local Government awarded a 200 million shillings contract to a consultancy firm Profocus Limited, to identify legal and institutional gaps and challenges regarding the new cities and metropolitan areas.
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