Lack of money weighs down new town councils

Kayunga. Many newly created town councils are struggling to deliver services since they are financially crippled, Daily Monitor has learnt.
According to a mini-survey conducted by Daily Monitor in the central region, most town councils are operating on a shoe-string budget yet others have limited manpower to execute their work. Others lack operational office space and are sharing offices while council meetings are being conducted under trees.
In February this year, the government created 190 town councils with a sole aim of extending services closer to the people in local governments and creating jobs. But government is yet to achieve this dream.
Those in the central region that have become operational include Kayabwe, Buwama, Kinoni,Nakifuma, Katosi, Ntenjeru, Ssekanyonyi ,Bbanda among others.
However, due to limited funds, others, according to government, are to be operationalised next financial year.
In Kayunga District, there is acute shortage of working space for staff in Nazigo and Busaana town councils, which has forced them to share offices with those working with the mother sub-counties, while others work under trees.
According to Ms Goreti Nakate, the assistant town clerk for Busaana Town Council, this has led to congestion in the few available offices, making it hard for the officers to carry out their day-to-day business efficiently.
“By law, the sub-county has to relocate and we have asked the sub-county chief to plan for this,” Ms Nakate said.
Following the creation of the town councils, there was animosity between leaders of the mother sub-counties and Town councils.
This prompted the Ministry of Local Government to offer guidance to the affected sub-counties in a letter that was sent to all LC5 chairpersons.
“On creation of a town council, all assets (land and buildings) owned by the sub-county that are within the area of jurisdiction of the new town council, becomes assets of the town council,” an october... letter from the Ministry of Local Government sent to all district chairpersons read in part.
In Kyotera District, where Mutukula and Kasensero town councils were created, the district chairperson, Mr Patrick Kintu Kisekkulo, told Daily Monitor in an interview yesterday that they have insufficient funds to run the councils.
The situation in Sembabule district, where eight new sub-counties were created, is not any different from Kayunga as none of these new administrative units has established offices, making new leaders operate under unbearable circumstances.
For the newly created Kawanda sub-county, a well-wisher donated land to host the sub-county headquarters but Mr Asuman Mwanje, the sub-county LC3 chairman, said they are yet to get money to finance the construction works.
In Mubende District where Kasambya Sub-county was split into two to create Kasambya Town Council, the newly created town council took over the office building of Sub-county at Kasambya central village, forcing Kasambya Sub-county to shift to Kilolero village in Kilolero Parish in Kasambya Sub-county.
Mr Keith Muhakanizi, the Finance ministry’s permanent secretary and Secretary to the Treasury, has on several occasions warned government against creating new administrative units, saying the cost of creating them had become excessive, thus exerting pressure on the national treasury.
The State minister for Local government Mr Jenifer Namuyangu, said in an interview that government had this financial year released only Shs5b for all the 100 new town councils, admitting that this money was too little to enable them run effectively.