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Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister for Local Government, Raphael Magyezi has called for urgent review of Uganda’s decentralisation policy which was implemented in 1992.
Government introduced a decentralisation policy that empowered lower governments to manage public affairs on behalf of the central government in a bid to speed up development and service delivery.
According to Magyezi, the policy review is long overdue.
“We evolved and gave powers to local governments; how are they feeling? Is it delivering services as we expected in the Constitution? So we need a review of the decentralization policy,” Magyezi said.
This, he said on Tuesday, 17 January 2023 while presenting the Budget Framework Paper for 2023/2024 for the local government sector before the Committee on Public Service and Local Government.
Magyezi said it is prudent that about Shs3 billion is provided this new financial year to allow government to conduct a national review of the decentralization system of governance.
Legislators on the committee backed the need for an urgent review of the decentralization policy based on complaints of inefficacies in service delivery, central government interference on complaints of inefficacies in service delivery, interference of central government, and limited access to local revenues.
“I think we erred in allowing the government to pay emoluments for local government officials because ‘he who pays the piper calls the tune’. If local governments who collect the revenue would be allowed to use the revenue to pay their officials, then we would not be having such scenarios [of low salaries],” Isaac Modoi, Lutseshe County MP said.
Aswa County MP, Simon Peter Wokorach said the goals and objectives of decentralization are being stifled by poor management of local revenues which has to be remitted to the central government before it is returned for expenditure.
“By the time this amount of money returns to the local governments, the expenditure period is almost over. So I am with the minister that for us to allow decentralization realise its objectives, let us avail this Shs3bn to review the policy,” Wokorach said.
The committee chairperson, Godfrey Onzima expressed disappointment with the executive for failing to implement Parliament’s resolution to allow local governments to spend local revenue at the source.
On 08 September 2021, Parliament passed a resolution urging the government to reverse the directive requiring local governments to remit all local revenues to the Consolidated Fund.
During the meeting, Magyezi protested local government budget cuts saying it is likely to impede governance and policy operations, thus affecting service delivery.
According to the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) for 2023/2024, local governments’ budget has been slashed to Shs4.5 trillion from Shs4.8 trillion in the current financial year.
Among the pushing issues which remain unfunded include the procurement of motor vehicles for Chief Administrative Officers, district chairpersons, and city mayors and start-up fund for construction of office headquarters for 10 districts which were displaced by the new cities.
