District bosses focus on Schools, roads

Jun 04, 2012

In the fi rst months after Deus Tumusiime got into power as Mbarara district boss, he was welcomed by challenges arising from disagreements by councillors who opposed his regime.


Mbarara: Deus Tumusiime

In the fi rst months after Deus Tumusiime got into power as Mbarara district boss, he was welcomed by challenges arising from disagreements by councillors who opposed his regime.

Some of the councillors wanted him to resign immediately. The standoff originated from the sh500m, which the Mbarara High Court awarded him for unlawfully rescinding his appointment as district education offi cer. Councillors demanded Tumusiime to either forego the compensation or take it and resign.

Tumusiime, however, remained fi rm and unshakable. At least now the district is calm.

On education, he said Universal Secondary Education (USE) and Universal Primary Education (UPE) results were good. The district took the 3rd position and 5th position in the national results. Mbarara district was rewarded for being the best in the country in literacy levels.

With its small resources, the district has also managed to construct some classrooms and staff houses.

The district constructed health centres in Kyarwabuganda, Ihunga and Rwakishakizi. The district also built a maternity ward at Kagongi, received a new ambulance for Mwizi health centre and three motorcycles for monitoring drugs. Unfortunately, some roads worked on have been destroyed by rain, though the district has started repairing them.

Alebtong: David Odong
David Kennedy Odong is the chairman of Alebtong district. Alebtong was carved out of Lira in 2009. But three years later, the council is just embarking on constructing a sh1.4b building that will house the district headquarters. They have constructed 18 staff houses for primary school teachers.

They have also supplied 400 desks and constructed 40 toilets in schools. The district is also sponsoring 11 girls offering science courses in public universities. Odong says in the last one year, they have recruited 78 primary school teachers. He adds that the performance of pupils in P.7 has improved. “When we took over offi ce, only nine pupils had passed in fi rst grade, but last year the number increased to 41,” said Odongo.

The district has constructed outpatient departments at four health centres. The construction of a theatre at Alebtong Health Centre is ongoing. But there are biting challenges the district is facing including the poor road networks, high demand for desks and poverty.

Mpigi: John Luwakanya
“Since I came to power in 2011, I have been able to build team work between the technocrats and politicians. Before then, there were divisions in the district. I have also managed to work with Buganda government and religious leaders to
promote Bulungibwansi,” says Mpigi boss, John Luwakanya.

Every Thursday, they respect government programmes in different parishes. Luwakanya said he had also ensured that were adequate drugs in the health centres. He has also ensured a continuous link between village health teams and health centres, which has helped in improving health services.

In addition, the district has built four health centres, including the one at Nakirebe Sekiwunga, and Konkoma.

The main problem they are facing now is understaffi ng of health centres. Regarding education, Luwakanya said the district had interdicted all the teachers without the required academic qualifi cations. The district council also made it mandatory for every parent to provide lunch for their school-going children.

Luwakanya has also opened up feeder roads, like Babusanke-Kaase, Lubugumu-Luwunga, Kumbya -Mbizinnya, Nswanjere-Muduuma and Nakirebe-Sekiwunga.

Besides the inadequate resources from the Central Government, Luwakanya says their other challenge is political differences in the council, which is failing the district from getting a fully constituted District Service Commission.

The chairman said whenever he proposes names for approval by the council, they end up being dismissed by councillors. The narrow tax base also adds insult to the injury.

Otuke: Benson Ogwang
Benson Ogwang Ogoo is the Otuke district LC5 chairman. The district is struggling with challenges of poor roads, lack of an ambulance lack of staff cars for the top leadership.

Despite the challenges, they are counting achievements such as construction of staff houses at the health centres, opening up new health centres in Alango, Ogwete and Anepkide. The district is also constructing a maternity ward at Barjobi and Atanggwata. The deputy speaker, Agnes Akullo, said they had constituted a District Service Commission which would recruit more district staff.

Hoima: George Bagonza
Hoima district boss, George Bagonza Tinkamanyire, has registered achievements in the last one year. But Bagonza says the achievements stretch from the time he entered offi ce in 2001, because he is fi nalising some of the projects they began implememnting then.

Tinkamanyire says he lobbied for the construction of a multi-million gravity water scheme in Bulyango, Kitoba sub-county and a ninemegawatt Hydro power dam, whose construction on River Wambabya in Buseruka sub-county is in its fi nal stages. The dam is a government project being implemented under the rural electrifi cation programme.

Tinkamanyire is also proud that Hoima town was elevated to municipal status last year. He also says that he kick-started efforts to ensure that the 92km Hoima-Kaiso-Tonya road was tarmacked.

At the moment he is working hand in hand with the Government to ensure that Bunyoro benefi ts from the oil in the region.

Gomba: Abdu kyabangi
Kyabangi is the fi rst chairperson of Gomba district, which was created in July 2010 out of Mpigi. “At the time I was elected, absenteeism was rampant. But now, the situation is better. Kyabangi has also embarked on building staff quarters at Kalusiima Primary School. Similar construction is going on at Kalungu UMEA, Tiginya and Kyeggaliro primary schools. He says the President has built Kisozi health centre III and two schools, Kisozi SS and Modern P/S.

He has also rehabilitated 10 feeder roads across the of the district. “I have dug 10 shallow wells and four boreholes are expected to be drilled next week in Maddu sub-county.”

Ngora: Bernard Eumu
“A district chairperson is not isolated from the district plan, and that’s where my strength lies,” Bernard Eumu said. Ngora has also got some of the best roads in Teso region, thanks in part to Eumu’s routine monitoring of all the central and district roads.

He initiated a sponsorship scheme for fi ve students, one from each sub-county for university education. In an attempt to promote quality education, he mobilized and sensitised parents about the importance of feeding the children and construction of the teachers’ houses.

“I pushed the idea of taxing contractors 2% and the proceeds are given to needy students to access education.”

Story by John Semakula, John Masaba, Simon Naulele, Robert Atuhaire, Kizito Musoke, Patrick Okino, and Abdulkarim Ssengendo,

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