Citizens including
local leaders need to embrace the elections of LC 1’s due to their roles in our
communities. Uganda last held elections of local council one chairpersons about
15 years ago yet they play a big role in our communities including keeping security,
community development works, supervision, etc hence need to advocate for faster
processes from electoral commission to conduct LC 1 elections in the country.

These and more were
words from Hon Moses Ikagobya the district vice chairperson and also district
councilor representing Buhesi sub county in Kabarole district when he was
hosted live on ToroDev supported ‘Manya Ekiragiro Kyawe’ program that is aired
live every Wednesday 8-10pm on Krc Fm. He was hosted on 1st March, 2017
to give the district status report in line with service delivery and also give
the work plan for the district for the next financial year.

Hon Moses Ikagobya Kabarole district Vice chairperson

‘’ Uganda last conducted LC1 elections in 2001 which means that the
mandate of these leaders expired in 2006. Even those in offices can be legally
challenged in case one wanted to do so because they are given much delegated
authority by government when actually they are not legally constituted. Local
councils play critical roles in community/village development and improving
service delivery that is where we need to advocate for their elections to
immediately take place’’, said Moses Ikagobya the district vice chairperson Kabarole and district
councilor representing Buheesi Sub County.

Mr. Ikagobya said we need to build back a
strong leadership which has been missing in the last 16 years starting with our
villages. As government plans to play its role of making sure free and fair
elections are held, duty bearers should work as a team in support with other
stakeholders to reduce poverty and bring development in communities and also
expand services to equitably coordinate & solve problems that affects
people at household level.

 The
core role of decentralization was bringing services nearer to people and also
development at community level but to some extent we have not achieved that
because key sectors like education, health, economic development are still
struggling to become better something that has affected service delivery. These
sectors need to be embarked on positively such that they can create employment
opportunities and also plan and allocate resources where citizens can be granted
authority to make independent decisions to ensure better control and
supervision of resources at all levels in order to bring development and
improved income levels at household level. As a district we are implementing
government programs as well as improving service delivery in education, health,
economic development, etc we have worked on a number of roads, clean and safe
water is being extended to communities that luck it like Kicwamba and Harugongo
sub counties and also working to extent the power grid so that many of our
people can access electricity and then begin businesses to improve incomes at
household level.

 The
two hours live discussion at krc listeners engaged  through calls in and sms platforms and more
than 30 people discussed ,“The
government should start up a secondary school at kabahango because our student
walk long distances  to reach them and
this has resulted into increased dropouts of students in schools and they
should also work on water system for the people of Kabahango,” said life
from Kabahango,”Education sector should
change teaching syllabus which is theoretical to practical’s starting from
primary to tertiary institutions  if they
are to improve development and house hold incomes in Uganda’’, said Noel
from Kagote Kabarole district, “why does the district close primary schools
and yet government aided schools are far  they should support them instead of closing them’’,
said Mugisa from Kabarole, ‘’more youth and women groups need to be
supported to access funds to increase their house hold income if we are to fight
poverty and unemployment’’, said Margret Kateba from Karambinsub county in
Kabarole district.