Outgoing Gulu city mayor Okwonga cites integrity, devt gains at handover
According to Okwonga, transparency, accountability, and cooperation with the community and national stakeholders were central to the city’s performance.
Alfred Okwonga, the outgoing Mayor of Gulu City handing over office materials to the City town Clerk, Innocent Ahimbisibwe. (Photos by David Magere)
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Outgoing Gulu city mayor Alfred Okwonga has formally handed over office after completing his term, highlighting achievements in infrastructure, revenue collection, environmental protection and governance during his leadership.
The handover ceremony took place on May 8, 2026, at the Gulu city health boardroom and was attended by city officials, technocrats, political leaders, members of the media and the public.
Okwonga, who served as the first mayor after Gulu Municipality attained city status in July 2020, said the city registered significant progress under his administration.
He said Gulu city performed strongly in recent local government rankings, recording up to 88 per cent performance in areas including revenue collection and infrastructure development.
According to Okwonga, transparency, accountability, and cooperation with the community and national stakeholders were central to the city’s performance. He expressed hope that the incoming leadership would maintain the same approach.
He cited environmental protection efforts, particularly safeguarding wetlands such as Pece Stream from encroachment, as one of the administration’s major achievements.
Okwonga (4th right) in a group photo with Gulu City staff.
Okwonga also highlighted improvements in road infrastructure, saying more than 40 roads were tarmacked, helping improve the city’s transport network.
Other areas he pointed to included enhanced collaboration with security agencies to combat crime and lawlessness, expansion of commercial and business infrastructure through the development of markets, and improvements in health services at Gulu Regional Referral Hospital.
He further noted that local revenue collection improved significantly through the Integrated Revenue Automated System (IRAS), with collections reportedly increasing by up to 300 per cent. He also referenced the extension of safe drinking water from Karuma to Gulu among the city’s achievements.