Fort Portal RCC warns LC1s against handling capital cases, land matters

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Fort Portal Resident City Commissioner (RCC) Nasike Asumini has cautioned newly sworn-in Local Council One (LC1) and Two LC2 leaders against handling serious criminal cases beyond their mandate, warning that doing so could undermine justice and fuel insecurity in communities.

Speaking during the swearing-in ceremony of the LC1 and LC2 leaders held on August 18, 2026, Nasike urged local council leaders to take charge of security in their communities but promptly refer serious criminal cases to the police.

She cited cases of murder, defilement and rape, which she described as capital offences that should not be handled at the local council level.

“Be in charge and take charge. Report cases to the police that are beyond you. Sometimes you find LC1s engaging in murder, defilement and rape cases. Those cases are capital in nature. If you encounter one in your area, report it to police, and they will help you,” Nasike said.

She also warned LC1 leaders against becoming deeply involved in land disputes, saying that some matters require the intervention of technical personnel and other relevant authorities.

Nasike said that while local leaders can help resolve minor issues such as boundary disputes, complex land matters should be referred to the appropriate authorities to avoid creating further conflicts.

“We are finding a lot of difficulties dealing with land matters by people who are not technical in nature. There are a few things which you can handle, like boundaries, but major issues of land refer to LC1s because they will cause you problems,” she said.

According to Nasike, mishandling land disputes could have serious security implications, including triggering violence and other forms of insecurity within communities.

She further cautioned them against abusing their official stamps to facilitate multiple transactions involving the same piece of land.

She said some local leaders in previous administrations had allegedly used their stamps to recommend the same land as security for loans from different financial institutions, leaving banks struggling to recover their money when borrowers defaulted.

She urged the newly sworn-in leaders to exercise integrity and caution when performing their duties, particularly when handling documents and disputes involving land and financial transactions.

Nasike said LC leaders are the closest government representatives to communities and therefore have a responsibility to protect residents, maintain peace and ensure that cases are handled by the appropriate institutions.

Reject corruption

Fort Portal city mayor Rev. Willy Kintu Muhanga used the opportunity to urge newly sworn-in Local Council One (LC1) and LC2 leaders to uphold integrity, reject corruption and respect the outcome of elections.

Muhanga said leaders are often approached with money to influence decisions, but urged them to put the interests of the communities they serve above personal gain.

“The office has been given to you; be people of integrity. We, as your leaders, also meet corruption. They bring money to us, but we see money versus the road. We say, if I take sh20 m and people don't get the road, will this money come with blessings or curses?” Muhanga said.

He encouraged the leaders to do what benefits their communities, saying acts of integrity can bring both public trust and personal fulfilment.

“Let’s do good things and good things will bring us good ones. When you do good, even God blesses you at your job,” he said.

Muhanga also warned former LC1 leaders who lost elections against refusing to hand over official stamps to their successors.

He said leaders should accept election results and facilitate a smooth transfer of office rather than holding on to government property after leaving office.

“I know of LC1s who were defeated in the elections and refused to give up the stamp. Why are you doing that? Leaders come, and leaders go. If you were defeated, get defeated honourably,” Muhanga said.

LC1s vow to monitor govt programmes

Hadijja Amanyire, the newly sworn-in LC1 chairperson of Kidukuru Kihembo B village, has pledged to closely monitor government programmes and projects in her area to ensure they are implemented as planned.

Amanyire said she will follow up on government projects in the community and assess whether the activities and services promised to residents are actually delivered.

“I am prepared to follow up and monitor government programs. I will also try to follow up on government projects and see whether what was supposed to be done has been done,” Amanyire said.

She said effective monitoring of government programmes would help local leaders identify gaps in implementation and ensure residents benefit from public investments.

Nobert Turyomwe, the LC1 chairperson for Ibonde 1, has pledged to promote development in the village and ensure government programmes are properly implemented.

Turyomwe said one of his priorities will be to monitor government projects, particularly the Parish Development Model (PDM), to ensure that the programme achieves its intended purpose and benefits residents.

“I will make sure there is development in my village. I will make sure government projects like PDM are implemented very well,” Turyomwe said.