The Minister for Local Government, Hon. Raphael Magezi, has threatened to take over the management of Kole District Local Government by the Central Government if service delivery issues are not addressed.
This was revealed by inside sources who attended a meeting convened by the Minister with political leaders and technocrats from the district to discuss road accountability and related issues. The focus of the meeting shifted after further details emerged regarding widespread rot in several sectors within the district.
Hon. Magezi expressed concern over issues raised about kickbacks to the CAO’s office for service delivery.
Several leaders of lower local governments testified that each department, health facility, and lower local government had to pay a bribe before any requisition was approved by the CAO’s office.
The Mayor of Kole Town Council, in particular, shared his experience: “I noticed that 900,000 UGX had been irregularly added to our BOQ for roads and captured as funds for district monitoring,” he said. “When I demanded to know from my town clerk why this was included, especially since districts have their own funds for monitoring, he informed me that without the kickback, no requisition would be approved,” he added.
The Minister was further shocked to learn that all the technocrats he had invited were in acting positions, including the CFO, Head of Procurement, Head of Internal Audit, and District Engineer, some of whom had been acting for up to five years. Additionally, 9 out of 11 town clerks and sub-county chiefs were reported to be in acting positions as well. The CAO, Soita Wamburu, attempted to explain that this was due to a lack of wages, but the PS of Local Government shut him down, pointing out that 29 billion UGX had recently been allocated for the recruitment of parish chiefs and town clerks.
The meeting also highlighted concerns over the dropping performance of Kole District, which had fallen from 11th position in 2021 to 39th in 2022, 137th in 2023, and 136th in 2024. The leaders noted that the non-remittance of Local Service Tax to lower local governments, which was instead retained by the District, was another major issue. For instance, only 500,000 UGX was remitted in a year out of 9,000,000 UGX for Kole Town Council, with the remainder being kept by the District, in violation of the Local Government Act, which mandates that 65% of local revenue should be returned to town councils and sub-counties.
Other concerns raised included the undermining of lower local government leaders such as LC3s, mayors, and speakers by the District. One of the district’s vehicles, under the CAO’s responsibility, had been impounded by a petrol station for almost a year due to an unpaid debt, sparking heated discussions.
The Minister refuted several explanations given for the vehicle’s prolonged stay at the petrol station, stating, “When a vehicle breaks down, you take it to a garage, not a petrol station.”
The Minister indicated that Kole District needed urgent reform and, alongside the Permanent Secretary, issued several directives.
These included sending an investigative team immediately to Kole to inquire into issues such as procurement, human resources, accountability, roadworks, and related matters. The investigation is to be completed within three weeks. The Minister also halted the ongoing recruitment of teachers for three weeks, following concerns that individuals were paying for jobs, until the investigations are concluded.
A performance improvement plan will be developed for Kole District, following its decline in performance. A technical team, involving several ministries, will be assembled to assist Kole in improving service delivery. The CAO was directed to submit a list of all staff, including vacant positions, within one week.
The Chair of the District Roads Committee was also instructed to convene a meeting within three weeks to discuss road plans, with a new chair to be identified following the current chair’s end of term. The Minister also specified who would not be eligible for the chair position.
Additionally, a political harmonization meeting will be organized within three weeks, led by the Minister of State for Local Government, during which she will meet with political leaders. Regarding local revenues and Local Service Tax for lower local governments, the Minister directed that they be disbursed to the respective local governments.
He urged leaders to fight corruption in Kole District, particularly concerning recruitment, transfers, and contract awards, and to separate politics from development. He committed to holding a meeting with the District Council, LC3s, and opinion leaders after the completion of the investigations, which are expected in a month.
The meeting was convened following a complaint raised by the MP for Kole North, Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti, regarding road accountability issues and related service delivery challenges in the district.
