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Greater Luwero Districts Yet to Utilise UGX 250M For Roads

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Sam Kigula, the Nakasongola district LC V chairperson, explains that the delay in fund utilization stems from confusion regarding whether to use the money for rehabilitation, as suggested by the Ministry of Works, or for routine maintenance, as directed by Parliament.
File Photo; Residents passing through the road that connects Munami village to Nakasongola town council

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Districts in Greater Luwero are yet to fully utilize the Shillings 250 million allocated for road works in the first quarter of the financial year 2023/24. In April of this year, Parliament approved a resolution granting each district Shillings one billion for road maintenance, with the funds managed by the Uganda Road Fund.

The Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development disbursed Shillings 250 million to each district as part of this grant in the first quarter of the financial year 2023/24. However, as of now, authorities in the Luwero, Nakaseke, and Nakasongola districts have not fully utilized the funds resulting from the rainy season leaving the roads impassable.

Sam Kigula, the Nakasongola district LC V chairperson, explains that the delay in fund utilization stems from confusion regarding whether to use the money for rehabilitation, as suggested by the Ministry of Works, or for routine maintenance, as directed by Parliament.

Kigula notes that if the district opts for rehabilitation, as suggested by the Ministry of Works, only a few kilometers of the 530-kilometer road network would be improved, leaving the majority of roads impassable. He says that they await further guidance from the Road Fund, which manages the grant, to utilize the funds for routine maintenance and address more kilometers of the roads.

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As Nakasongola experiences delays, several roads have become impassable due to the onset of rains, leaving farmers stranded with agricultural produce. Some of the severely affected roads include Nabiswera-Katuba-Kikooge-Kansira-Lwabyata, Irima-Kigazi-Mayirikiti, Ntuuti-Nabutaka, and Kalungi-Kawonde, among others. In Luwero, the situation is also critical on the roads.

Erastus Kibirango, the LC 5 Chairman, explains that they are awaiting the convening of the District Road Committee to resolve how to utilize the funds in accordance with Parliament's guidance. “The Parliament already resolved that we use the money for maintenance of roads and we shall follow that guidance. We have only delayed because the DRC chaired by area Members of Parliament is yet to discuss how to spend it,” Kibirango said. 

In Nakaseke, Benjamin Makanga, the District Secretary for Works, states that the District Road Committee has convened and resolved to utilize the funds to rehabilitate two roads, namely Rwesindizi-Kijumba-Buwanku and Kikubanyimba-Kamuli-Mulungu road. Additionally, 77 million shillings will be spent on repairing the road unit. Makanga emphasizes that the Parliament's role should be to allocate funds and supervise their utilization rather than deciding how the funds should be spent. 

In August of this year, the Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among, warned local governments against defying Parliament's resolutions on fund utilization. Parliament had changed the grant from a Rehabilitation Development Grant to a Road Maintenance Grant, citing the disbursal of funds to local governments without proper guidelines.

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