No tricks on Luweero, Rwenzori devt funds
Nov 24, 2009
The Government has earmarked sh850b for the development of the Luweero Triangle andthe Rwenzori region that were devastated by the five-year long NRA-UNLA bush war in the early 1980s.
The Government has earmarked sh850b for the development of the Luweero Triangle andthe Rwenzori region that were devastated by the five-year long NRA-UNLA bush war in the early 1980s.
The Luwero
tate minister says sh10b has already been released for the pilot projects. The programme will cover 29 districts in the Luweero Triangle and the Rwenzori region with the ambitious target of enabling 20% of households earning sh20m per year and 100% having 65% water coverage.
This is a welcome move but what remains to be seen is transparency, accountability and precision. Sh850b may seem to be a large amount of money but given the glaring abuse of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) funds, those of the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF), there is need to tread carefully. Because corruption has almost become a way of life in Uganda, there should be a water-tight mechanism to protect public funds.
The common person should be given a chance to identify their development needs on the ground rather than technocrats determining those needs at expensive workshops which gobble up a significant amount of the development fund.
It is important to take the beneficiaries on board so that their input can directly guide the decision makers.
For example, under the programme, primary and secondary schools, community polytechnics and teachers’ houses are supposed to be built. This should not be done in a haphazard manner and from the word go, it should be clear how many schools will be built, where they will be built and how much each unit will cost.
If there is no strict audit from the beginning, the sh850b is likely to vanish into thin air without any official being held accountable.
The local authorities and the area MPs should work hand-in-hand so that we do not have a situation where the Luweero and Rwenzori fund ends up like the constituency development funds entrusted to MPs.
The Luwero
tate minister says sh10b has already been released for the pilot projects. The programme will cover 29 districts in the Luweero Triangle and the Rwenzori region with the ambitious target of enabling 20% of households earning sh20m per year and 100% having 65% water coverage.
This is a welcome move but what remains to be seen is transparency, accountability and precision. Sh850b may seem to be a large amount of money but given the glaring abuse of the National Agricultural Advisory Services (NAADS) funds, those of the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF), there is need to tread carefully. Because corruption has almost become a way of life in Uganda, there should be a water-tight mechanism to protect public funds.
The common person should be given a chance to identify their development needs on the ground rather than technocrats determining those needs at expensive workshops which gobble up a significant amount of the development fund.
It is important to take the beneficiaries on board so that their input can directly guide the decision makers.
For example, under the programme, primary and secondary schools, community polytechnics and teachers’ houses are supposed to be built. This should not be done in a haphazard manner and from the word go, it should be clear how many schools will be built, where they will be built and how much each unit will cost.
If there is no strict audit from the beginning, the sh850b is likely to vanish into thin air without any official being held accountable.
The local authorities and the area MPs should work hand-in-hand so that we do not have a situation where the Luweero and Rwenzori fund ends up like the constituency development funds entrusted to MPs.