Africa-Press – Uganda. Kitagwenda District is grappling with poor service delivery four years after it was carved out of Kamwenge District.
Local leaders and residents were optimistic that this would improve service delivery .
However, the district faces a number of challenges that have hindered development. These include low revenue collection, poor health services, poor road networks, lack of an administration block and some schools operate in dilapidated structures.
The district chairperson, Mr Ismail Mushemeza, said the district has 280 kilometres of roads which are in a sorry state and yet they lack the equipment to repair them.
Mr Mushemeza said the district budgeted for Shs120 million for the road fund in the last financial year but only received Shs70 million and the majority of the roads were not worked on.
Some of the roads that are in a sorry state include Rwetuha-Mahyoro road, Kichwamba-Ganiko road, Ntaara-Kyabatimba-Katoma road, Ibanda-Mahyoro-Kyabura road and Ibanda-Kabujogera road.
During the rainy season, Kamwenge-Kitagwenda Road is cut off by floods at River Mpanga.
The same road is part of a presidential pledge of 2016 when Kitagwenda district was still part of Kamwenge District.
“We are not regretting why we got a new district but we have several challenges. Now we have Shs70 million on the district account for road fund but we have failed to use it because we don’t have a road unit. We depend on hiring from other districts,” he said.
He added that in each financial year, they plan to collect Shs500 million under local revenue but end up collecting between Shs100 million and Shs200 million.
Revenue
Mr Mushemeza said their biggest source of local revenue is Dura Quarry in Kanara Sub-county where limestone is mined. He said the quarry generates Shs200 million annually.
He, however, said they have been battling Kamwenge District over ownership of the quarry since 2019. He added that there is an ongoing case in court regarding the matter.
“The district local revenue is low and four sub-counties depend on 20 percent revenue sharing from Queen Elizabeth National Park of about Shs40 million each, other sub-counties are struggling to conduct six councils [meetings] a year,” he added.
The district also has no hospital. Ntara Health Centre IV now works as the main health facility in the district. There have been pleas from local leaders to upgrade the facility into a hospital.
“The Ministry of Health told us to first build a theatre, laboratory, mortuary and staff quarters to have Ntara Health Centre IV upgraded to a hospital, our partner Baylor Uganda gave us Shs280 million for the construction of a laboratory, we have a mortuary and we are looking for money to build staff house,” Mr Mushemeza said.
There are, however, health centre IIIs although Bukurungu Town Council and Kichehce Sub-county don’t have a health facility.
The district only has one ambulance, which was donated by the district Woman Member of Parliament, Ms Dorothy Nyakato Nzibonera.
Mr Yasin Kezimbira, the youth councillor of Kitagwenda District, said the district needs Shs1.2 billion to complete the construction of the administration block.
Ms Doreen Natukunda, a district councillor who doubles as secretary for production and natural resources, said construction of district headquarters stalled on the second floor.
“The district came with some jobs and our people have been employed. There is also close monitoring of government programmes unlike when we were still under Kamwenge District,” she said.
Ms Natukunda, however, said the district received funds to construct a staff house at Kanara Health Centre III and construction of Kanara Seed School and a laboratory at Kabujogera Health Centre III are ongoing.
Access to water in the district has also been a challenge. At least 85 percent of the population in the district has access to water. The district has 22 water source points but these have not functioned for more than five years and are considered abandoned.
One of the water point projects worth Shs723.7 million meant to benefit 7,500 people in Kanara Sub-county has been non-functional since its commissioning in October last year.
The Kanara Sub-county chairperson, Mr Francis Hategeka, said residents were optimistic that they would start accessing clean and safe water but unfortunately, people only fetched water on public tap stands for three weeks.
The district has six government-aided secondary schools and 68 primary schools. Many of the schools were constructed in 2002 and are now in a sorry state.
The Tooro region coordinator in the office of national chairperson, Ms Barbra Nabaasa, said it is true that Kitagwenda is still grappling with many challenges but said a report has been compiled to support the office of the president for action.
“Kitagwenda is among the new districts with many challenges like in the health sector and education, we have compiled a report with all issues that need urgent action and they have been given to the Office of President,” she said.
govt response
The State minister for Local Government, Ms Victoria Businge Rusoke, said all the newly created districts were given startup funds.
She said they will be given more funding, saying the government is currently in the process of budgeting and that the government is aware of their challenges.
She added that the government is also in the procurement process for a road equipment unit for all the new districts including cities saying when procurement is done they will be distributed.
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