Phillip Adonga, the councillor for Tenam Sub County said that some of the new administrative units face eviction from their rented office spaces due to unpaid rent.
New administrative units in
Pader District are struggling with severe funding shortages, undermining service delivery.
The LCIII Chairperson of Pukor
Sub-County, Richard Ojwini, criticized the establishment of these units as politically motivated without considering their financial
sustainability. He highlighted issues such as reduced funding for critical
grants like the Discretionary Development Equalization Grant (DDEG) and
non-wage grants, as well as reliance on acting staff for key positions.
"We lack resources and
autonomy over locally raised revenue, leaving us unable to implement community
projects or even maintain roads," Ojwini said.
//Cue in: “Atamo ni politically
it…
Cue out. …in other ways round.”//
Phillip Adonga, the councillor for Tenam Sub County said that some of the new administrative units face
eviction from their rented office spaces due to unpaid rent. "The startup funding of 30 million Shillings for each unit is not
enough to sustain operations or secure permanent structures," Adonga said.
The LCIII Chairperson of Pajule
Sub-County, Alfonse Omona Lokilamoi, expressed frustration over delays in
revenue remittance through the Integrated Revenue Administration System (IRAS),
which has further hindered their work. "We used to receive over UGX 100
million under the DDEG. Now, the funding is negligible," Lokilamoi said,
urging area MPs to push for better funding.
//Cue in: “Service delivery
me cwalo…
Cue out. …waty kede I local government.”//
Pader Chief Administrative
Officer, Michael Wanje Michael, revealed that due to understaffing, some staff members are
forced to work across multiple sub-counties, which stretches their capacity and
affects service delivery.
//Cue in: “Operations funds
are of course …
Cue out. …performance will improve.”//
Prime Minister Robinah
Nabanja recently pledged to address these financial challenges after complaints
from district leaders.
However, President Yoweri Museveni ruled out the
creation of additional administrative units, citing financial constraints and
emphasizing that resources should focus on wealth creation.
Pader District, with its 23
administrative units—11 of which are newly created—has struggled to meet basic
operational needs.
Kinyera Lakomekec
Freelancer