LC3 leaders plead for pledged 2,000 motorbikes

Oct 23, 2019

Local Council III chairpersons have decried the delay in the delivery of the motorcycles which had been promised by President Yoweri Museveni.

 

PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni in 2009 pledged 2,000 motorcycles for chairpersons of town councils, sub-counties and municipal divisions; but the implementation was in May this year halted, over alleged irregularities in the procurement process.

 In late May this year, Parliament directed the Ministry of Local Government to halt the procurement until an explanation has been brought to the House.

 The directive by the Speaker, Rebecca Kadaga, followed a concern raised by Masaka Municipality MP Mathias Mpuuga, who said he had been petitioned by the local companies, alleging they had knocked out of the bidding process due to requirements calculated to discriminate them. 

 The local government ministry is expected to procure the motorcycles valued at about sh35b; to ease the transport of lower local government leaders.

 Kashambya LC3 chairman Elinewo Bandaganire in an interview said the President should help them with the means of transport as he promised. Kashambya is found in Rukiga district of Kigezi region.

 "We badly need the motorcycles because they will ease transport as we move to monitor government projects," he stated. 

 Herbert Nyesigyere of Kakumiro sub-county in Kakumiro district, said they at times fail to do their work. 

 "Civil servants cannot work if not monitored. We need some means of transport," he stated.

 Fred Rwitanga, the Hakibale sub-county boss of Kabarole district, said those delaying the bikes are enemies of the National Resistance Movement party.

 "We need motorcycles. The President pledged them and they were being delayed by procurement procedures," he added. "We want to remind the Government that we are waiting for bikes."

 Other officials in Kampala, Mbarara, Bukomasimbi and Wakiso districts said they need the bikes and prayed that the process is made quicker. 

 

They said it's not easy to move around their local council areas to monitor government projects without any means of transport and that a motorcycle is very handy. "We hope it is not a budgetary issue delaying our motorcycles," one of them on condition of anonymity said.

 

 

 

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});