According to the CSOs, local governments are being reduced to mere observers of resources, while the larger portion of funds remains at the ministry level, leaving local governments struggling with inadequate resources.
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The representative of CSOs Mr Asa Allan gives his comments on the implementation of government projects in the district during the validation workshops with nebbi district leaders on Thursday. Photo by Patrick Okaba
Sections of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) operating in Nebbi District have urged the government to strengthen and build the capacity of lower local government staff to enhance service delivery in the districts.
They argue that if lower local government leaderships are empowered and strengthened in project implementation, the issue of poor service delivery in districts would be resolved. According to the CSOs, local governments are being reduced to mere observers of resources, while the larger portion of funds remains at the ministry level, leaving local governments struggling with inadequate resources. This, they say, hinders the systematic implementation of key priorities like health, roads, and education.
CSOs raised these concerns during a validation workshop organized by the National Planning Authority (NPA) with Nebbi district leaders to review the fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) at the district planning unit. Allan Asa, a representative of CSOs in the district from Nebbi NGO Forum, said:
“The issue of implementation needs to be improved on the side of local government and also strengthen the aspects of Monitoring and Evaluations at the national level if the government is to have a meaningful implementation of services to impact on its citizens.”
He added: “Government staff at different ministries are being paid heavily, but their inputs are not being felt. Yet, billions of shillings are being approved for projects by parliamentarians, but the lower local governments are left suffering with meager resources and late release of funds to the districts.”
Asa also attributed poor project implementation to inadequate data collection, adding:
“If CSOs point out the gaps, they are hated and tailored to the opposition. This has created deep holes between the government and CSOs.”
Eng. Oscar Olaro, a senior planner at the NPA, acknowledged the concerns and said:
“NDP does the planning, but the implementations are done at another level. In most cases, the authorities are given wrong data at the district level, hence making it difficult to plan.”
He emphasized the importance of timely and accurate data, stating:
“Sometimes the Authority is given wrong information at the district level; that’s why timely planning is affected by the planning authority. This calls for timely submission of data by the district leaders.”
Rachael Nabasirye, Policy Research, and Innovation Officer at the NPA, noted the need for political goodwill and resource prioritization, saying “There is a need to address the low capacity in public service and misuse of public resources, which has led to less optimal growth and poor service delivery. Prioritization and sequencing of development interventions are key in generating impact on the constrained resource envelope.”
Charles Okumu, a resident of Nebbi Town, shared his views, stating: “We have seen very many good project designs failing at the district not because the district failed to implement the project, but because the resources are just not enough. The resources are being controlled at the center, and what is sent can’t sustain the projects.”
