Moroto district's governance and administrative performance has come under spotlight after a scorecard by the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) labelled it as the worst performing out of the districts surveyed across the country.
The ACODE scorecard paints a bleak picture, revealing that several boards within the district have fallen short of meeting their required duties and responsibilities.
The district land board and district service commission, in particular, have been deemed non-functional, resulting in challenges of recruitment and deadly land disputes
"Both the district land board and the district service commission are not fully constituted and are mostly absent in solving emerging disputes," Walter Akena, ACODE research officer told Nile Post.
The district has also faced prolonged vacancy in the vice chairperson position, with the seat remaining unfilled for nearly three years.
"It is the mandate of the LC5 chairperson to appoint the Vice Chairperson and the council reserves the right to approve the candidate. The last appointment made by LC5 was met with rejection by the council due to the candidate's lack of proper qualifications," Emmanuel Lokii, Rupa Sub County councilor said.
The local councils have voiced their dismay at the governance issues at the district and are calling for immediate corrective actions to address the shortcomings and to restore functionality in critical district bodies.
The non-functionality of the district land board for example has had dire consequences, escalating land disputes and conflicts, resulting in recent fatalities.
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"The non-functionality of the district land board has had dire consequences, as land disputes and conflicts have escalated, resulting in fatalities. The most recent case is where we lost a mother and her daughter cruelly killed in Katanga family land wrangle," Anjelo Pulkol, Loputuk Councilor told Nile Post.
"We have also advised the LC5 Chairperson to look within the council and appoint a suitable person to deputize him but he has preferred to leave the position vacant."
The ACODE scorecard serves as a reminder of the critical need for governance reforms in Moroto district and for the district authorities to take swift and effective measures to rectify the deficiencies identified in the report
Lucy Akajo, the female workers representative at Moroto district emphasized the urgent need for transparency, qualified appointments, and effective governance structures to prevent further escalation of the issues at the district.
