District leaders hit out at Okumu over PAC report

Parliament. District leaders under the Uganda Local Government Association (ULGA) have accused the chairperson of the Parliamentary Local Government’s Committee, Mr Reagan Okumu (Aswa, FDC), of bias and political witch-hunt in his report for the FY 2016/17.
In the report presented to President Museveni last week, Mr Okumu highlighted what he said were gross acts of corruption and abuse of national resources by the district accounting officers.
In his response, Mr Museveni is reported to have welcomed the report, which he commended for elaborate exposure of the rot in the districts and municipal councils.
However, whereas the district association agrees with some elements of the report, particularly inadequate budget allocation, the leaders believe that it was largely tainting and politically damaging the incumbents.
Flanked by the ULGA vice president for western region, Mr Patrick Besigye, the leaders on Tuesday said the report falls short of appreciating actual constraints faced by the districts.
“On behalf of our members, we express concern over the persistent and continuing derogatory statements that come from central government agencies that portray our service delivery institutions in bad light as poor service delivery managers who do not account for funds advanced to them,” Mr Besigye, also the Kabale LC5 chairperson, said.
He said they were heavily concerned with the manner in which local government representatives are not given adequate space and time to equally pronounce themselves on the queries that arise and provide proper and adequate explanation to events as they occur.
Ms Rose Gamwera, the ULGA secretary general, said whereas accountability is key, the committee should have addressed itself to “the critical issues affecting service delivery, including the weakened and almost obsolete policy of decentralisation, lack of proper coordination of service delivery and weak institutions coupled with adequate resourcing.”
The leaders also accused the central government of frustrating the principle of devolution, especially when it comes to procurement of district services.
“The result, is the increasing poor service delivery and therefore persistent poverty evidenced by the current struggle to close in the remaining 69 per cent into the cash economy, corruption is on the increase tearing apart the moral fabric of our society, and the apparent lack of accountability a consequence of weak leadership centres at local levels,” Mr Besigye said.