Turn counties into districts â€" MPs
Jul 14, 2009
THE Government should consider turning all counties into districts, MPs have said. This was during a meeting between the parliamentary committee on public service and local government and local government minister Adolf Mwesige yesterday.
By Joyce Namutebi
THE Government should consider turning all counties into districts, MPs have said. This was during a meeting between the parliamentary committee on public service and local government and local government minister Adolf Mwesige yesterday.
Mawokota North MP Peter Mutuluuza (NRM), who proposed the idea, said the Government should consider making all counties districts because “everybody wants a district.â€
He said people like him who had been reluctant to ask for districts for their areas found themselves losing out.
“Let us make all counties districts,†he said.
Currently, Uganda has 80 districts and over 200 counties. The committee was meeting Mwesige over the proposal to create 13 new districts and the creation of Mengo Municipality.
Mwesige clarified that the new districts the Government wants created were 13 and not 14 as mentioned earlier.
West Budama North MP William Okecho (Independent) suggested that the Government should emulate Ghana where all its counties were districts.
Mwesige said it would not be wise to proceed with the creation of Mengo Municipality before the demarcation of Kampala boundaries.
He said the Government shall propose amendments to the Kampala Capital City Bill, 2009 to formally create the municipality and define its boundaries.
The meeting was characterised by heated exchanges between Okecho, Tororo MP Geoffrey Ekanya and Tororo Municipality MP Sanjay Tanna over the proposed new districts of Mukuju and Kisoko.
Mwesige said it would be constitutionally difficult to erase the district, adding that the motion he presented be amended.
In the motion, the minister had said the current Tororo district would cease to exist on July 2010 when Mukuju and Kisoko are created.
Mwesige, however, said the dilemma was where to put Tororo Municipality.
Committee chairperson Anthony Yiga warned that the committee would not approve districts whose headquarters are not clear.
THE Government should consider turning all counties into districts, MPs have said. This was during a meeting between the parliamentary committee on public service and local government and local government minister Adolf Mwesige yesterday.
Mawokota North MP Peter Mutuluuza (NRM), who proposed the idea, said the Government should consider making all counties districts because “everybody wants a district.â€
He said people like him who had been reluctant to ask for districts for their areas found themselves losing out.
“Let us make all counties districts,†he said.
Currently, Uganda has 80 districts and over 200 counties. The committee was meeting Mwesige over the proposal to create 13 new districts and the creation of Mengo Municipality.
Mwesige clarified that the new districts the Government wants created were 13 and not 14 as mentioned earlier.
West Budama North MP William Okecho (Independent) suggested that the Government should emulate Ghana where all its counties were districts.
Mwesige said it would not be wise to proceed with the creation of Mengo Municipality before the demarcation of Kampala boundaries.
He said the Government shall propose amendments to the Kampala Capital City Bill, 2009 to formally create the municipality and define its boundaries.
The meeting was characterised by heated exchanges between Okecho, Tororo MP Geoffrey Ekanya and Tororo Municipality MP Sanjay Tanna over the proposed new districts of Mukuju and Kisoko.
Mwesige said it would be constitutionally difficult to erase the district, adding that the motion he presented be amended.
In the motion, the minister had said the current Tororo district would cease to exist on July 2010 when Mukuju and Kisoko are created.
Mwesige, however, said the dilemma was where to put Tororo Municipality.
Committee chairperson Anthony Yiga warned that the committee would not approve districts whose headquarters are not clear.