Don’t commercialise elections â€" JARD
Nov 13, 2004
THE Ministry of Local Government Joint Annual Review on decentralisation (JARD) workshop has called for an end to commercialisation of elections.
By Joyce Namutebi
THE Ministry of Local Government Joint Annual Review on decentralisation (JARD) workshop has called for an end to commercialisation of elections.
The workshop was held at the International conference Centre on wednesday and Thursday.
The workshop expressed concern about the current high drop-out rate of UPE pupils. They recommended that universal primary education be made compulsory and community labour re-introduced to maintain roads.
Participants included MPs, central and local government officials, development partners, envoys and heads of mission.
They recommended that recruitment into local governments should be based on merit rather than on origin.
They called for separation of the roles of civil servants from those of politicians.
They also called for facilitation of resident district commissioners (RDCs) and clarification of their role.
Kampala RDC Stanley Kinyatta said the capital city should be given a special status from other districts.
Local government minister Tarsis Kabwegyere said the President set up a committee to make Kampala a better place.
permanent Secretary in the local government ministry Vincent Ssekkono said the major challenge was that local governments did not fully utilise their powers to raise revenue, formulate plans and budgets.
He regretted that the legal framework did not provide for disciplining of errand chief administrative officers and other local government staff by the central Government, even where a district had failed to discipline them.
Ends
THE Ministry of Local Government Joint Annual Review on decentralisation (JARD) workshop has called for an end to commercialisation of elections.
The workshop was held at the International conference Centre on wednesday and Thursday.
The workshop expressed concern about the current high drop-out rate of UPE pupils. They recommended that universal primary education be made compulsory and community labour re-introduced to maintain roads.
Participants included MPs, central and local government officials, development partners, envoys and heads of mission.
They recommended that recruitment into local governments should be based on merit rather than on origin.
They called for separation of the roles of civil servants from those of politicians.
They also called for facilitation of resident district commissioners (RDCs) and clarification of their role.
Kampala RDC Stanley Kinyatta said the capital city should be given a special status from other districts.
Local government minister Tarsis Kabwegyere said the President set up a committee to make Kampala a better place.
permanent Secretary in the local government ministry Vincent Ssekkono said the major challenge was that local governments did not fully utilise their powers to raise revenue, formulate plans and budgets.
He regretted that the legal framework did not provide for disciplining of errand chief administrative officers and other local government staff by the central Government, even where a district had failed to discipline them.
Ends