By Our Reporter
NATIONAL
Members of Parliament are pushing for minimum qualifications for elected Local government leaders to enhance service delivery and supervision of government programs.
Led by Susan Amero, Amuria District Woman MP, MPs argue that government programs like Parish Development Model are failing because Councilors who are meant to supervise the Parish Chiefs are illiterate.
This concern was raised during an interaction between the Ministry of Local Government and Parliament’s Local Government Committee where the Ministry was presenting its 2025/26 National Budget Framework Paper on Monday.
Amero called on Government to impose the requirement of education qualification for all local council politicians, arguing that failure by some local politicians to comprehend English has hampered the supervision of Government Programs especially the PDM at the grassroots because most of them are bullied by elites at districts, whom they are meant to supervise.
Amero remarked, “We have a big problem, the Local Councilors who are supposed to be supervising these problems down there, some of them can’t even read anything. They don’t even know how to write anything apart from putting a thumb on the paper, wouldn’t it be right at this time when we are working on the constitutional amendments that we could at least out some qualifications somewhere for someone to become a Councilor. Because you can’t employ a graduate as Parish Chief and then you leave the Councilor who is supervising that graduate who can’t even write any sentence in English. What is that Councilor going to do with the graduate?”
She attributed the failings of the Parish Development Model on the lack of education qualifications by Councilors who are meant to supervise the Parish Chief noting, “The PDM isn’t succeeding literally because we don’t have anyone down there supervising, by the time we wake up from Kampala to go and supervise, things have gone wrong and it isn’t easy to bring back what has gone wrong. We have a challenge in the Local Governments because the Councilors are manipulated by a few elites in the districts because they don’t understand what they are doing.”
On his part, Wakabi asked the Ministry to consider imposing education qualification requirement for all people aspiring to contest as local politicians and enforce the provision of the same to undergo mandatory training at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi.
“Local leaders play an important role in implementing Government programmes, you as ministry, do we still need any LCIII who has no education? What is your proposal? I would also wish that now Nobert Mao, Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs is coming up with Constitutional Amendments, why can’t you propose that before somebody contests for any local leadership should first go and have training at National Leadership Institute (NALI)? At least a two-month training so that we can have better services,” noted Wakabi.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Local Government is seeking approval of Shs35.2Bn for the procurement of modest Vehicles for 176 Local Government LCV Chairpersons and Mayors to facilitate their mobility and efficiency in monitoring Government programs.
The Ministry also wants an additional Shs30bn to monitor the Parish Development Model.
The request was made by Ben Kumumanya, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Local Government while appearing before Parliament’s Local Government Committee to present the Ministry’s 2025/26 National Budget Framework Paper.
