Josephine Maseruka
4 November 2009
Kampala — CIVIL society organisations yesterday rapped the Government over the creation of new districts.
The organisations under the Uganda national NGO forum said the creation of districts could result into undesirable Government expenditures.
The organisations were yesterday discussing the African peer review mechanism (APRM) report at Imperial Royale Hotel in Kampala.
The APRM is a self-monitoring tool in good governance endorsed by 30 African countries. It is crucial to Uganda because good governance is a pre-requisite for security, political stability, economic growth and continental integration.
Richard Ssewakiryanga, the executive director of the forum, said the increasing number of districts was not benefiting the people but rather malnourishing them.
He said: "We need recentralisation instead of decentralisation. People want hospitals and good roads but the Government is rushing to turn sub-counties into districts. Where there is a resident district commissioner, people want a doctor. So what is the essence of these districts?"
Uganda has 80 districts and seven new districts have been approved for this financial year. By 2011, there will be about 94 districts.
Donor agencies have continuously cautioned the Government against creating new districts.
The organsations argued that much as politicians claim that the creation of more districts was in response to people's demands, such claims must be scrutinised because the people are after service delivery.
They also urged the Government to enhance the electoral process and the legitimacy of the outcome.
Aliro Omara, a member of the APRM national governing council, highlighted the areas of conflict on elections.
He said the security of the electoral process and the appointing of members to conduct elections was eroding the confidence of the citizens.
Omara also noted that the inter-party dialogue and cooperation of political parties had failed because they were fighting each other.
Bishop Dr. Zac Niringiye, the chairman of the Uganda APRM national governing council, warned that the grievances of ethnic minorities were potential areas of conflict.
He added that if they were not properly addressed, they could lead to chaos like in Kenya and South Africa.
Niringiye said there was need to attend to their demands, as it would enhance their sense of belonging without politicising ethnicity.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2009 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
