VOL.

9 ISSUE 97
MONDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER - 14 SEPTEMBER 2020

We Shall Not Create More Districts and Town Councils

Minister Magyezi’s First 100 Days in Office

Last month, the Parliament approved the creation of 46 Constituencies. These Constituencies are expected to bring in
effective service delivery to the masses characterized with appropriate representation and distribution of government the
District Focus’s Abel Turinawe spoke to Hon Rafael Magyezi, the Minister of Local Government and shared about the
values of creating the Constituencies and the recently newly operationalized Cities. Below are the excerpts.

In few months, we have seen the creation of Cities and Counties. What is the genesis of this development?
The creation of Cities to me is a milestone and what remains for them is to have a law, because the current legal framework we have
has a lot of gaps. We only had one City Kampala and we had not thought for others but now they are a reality.
I found a proposal of creating new Counties. I took the trouble, explained to the president and got his approval, Cabinet approved
despite the challenges of covid-19 we secured some funding and I later presented them to Parliament. At first, they were 15 and
Parliament advised me to go back and carry out assessment on all the applications that had been made and that is why you saw the
additional 31, to make 46.
Some people think that its stretching governance costs but to me it is improving stability and effective service delivery. People should
know that by the time we amended the constitution in 1995, Uganda’s population was only 13 million but now we are talking about
over 45 million. The increase in population results into the increase in need for representation.
What remains now is to make sure that these newly created counties are seen as centers of services for example a County should have
a Health Center IV, Counties are the Zones for Agriculture Production, I will work with relevant institutions to make sure that these
Counties are not just for formality and make sure that they have leadership.

We are speaking about Counties and Cities. A number of applications have been made in your office seeking for the creation
of Districts and Municipalities. What are your plans on that?
I undertook an initiative to make sure that we do not continue creating districts, Towns, Town Councils and Sub Counties. And I think
I have done my best because in spite of the pressure, we have only created Terego District and I found it already on table I have also
taken consultation with Kasese and Bundibugyo because there is a proposal for Buhendera District, I visited there and I am yet to visit
Tororo but the rest will have to wait because of the implication like creating one district costs Shs20bn and I have done my job very
well as the Minister to guide the government on taking the right decision, the same amount that create the district can be used to create
the Counties and ensure proper service delivery and representation.
We have received request for about 36 municipalities and I am still guiding the nation to say No, so for now we are not creating more
we are focusing on the Cities to make sure that they have structures. I found when my predecessor had created 364 Sub Counties and
352 Town Councils have stuck to my pledge and up to now, we have created only one Sub County that is Chikuyi. We are now
waiting for funding to operationalize the 715 Town Councils and Sub Counties.
How have LC ones been of help in these 100 days in office
I work with the LCs and that is the strength of decentralization. In COVID-19, we embarked on the issue of monitoring the District
Task forces, ensuring that we get their responses and funding them and I am glad that the president kept on recognizing the role of LC
Is during the COVID-19 fight.
As you are creating administrative units what are your plans on maintaining them because recently LC III Chairpersons in Mukono
District petitioned the Speaker over their Transport.
On the transport of LC, I, II and IIIs, we have achieved it because on the budget in this quarter, we have procured motorcycles for LC
III and bicycles for LC I and II. That is aimed at improving the conditions of work for these leaders and I believe to we are in the right
time.
Highlight some of the challenges you have faced while in office for these first 100 days.
When I stepped in office, I met challenges of Locusts, Floods and COVID-19 these are National but affect the Local Government so
much and in each of these I and my Minister of State have worked tirelessly. We have done our best and achieved it for example I was
on the team that distributed food in Kampala I am happy that we got more than what we projected because we had planned for 1.5
million but served over 1.8million.

Have the initiative of Local Government Associations helped in strengthening service delivery in your first 100 days in office?
We have also scored in the area of Local Government Association and Urban Authority Association of Uganda where they have been
functional during my first 100 days in office. I still stick on my pledge of working together with the LGAs because it is easy for me as
a minister to reach out to them and know their concerns when the associations are well organized.