Africa-Press – Uganda. Agago and Lira district authorities are struggling to run newly-created sub-counties due to lack of financial support from the central government.
The government recently created many sub-counties as one of the efforts to bring services closer to the people. However, many of the new administrative units have remained almost non-functional, Daily Monitor has learnt.
Mr Benson Ocan, the chairperson of the Kuywe Sub-county in Agago, said since they assumed office in May 2020, his sub-county has not received any financial support.
“We are finding work very hard at the moment because for the past six months, we have been sacrificing our little resources,” he said.
In Agago, at least 10 new administrative units have been created in the last two financial years, but none of them has so far received any funds.
In Lira, the creation of new administrative units has caused problems. Awiodyek Sub-county, which was carved out of Amach, has been receiving funds for operations under the name of the mother sub-county, the Lira District chairperson, Mr Richard Cox Okello Orik, said.
This is because the government does not disburse funds to them.
“Amach, one of the mother sub-counties in Lango, disappeared from the map of Uganda. Problems cropped up soon after Amach gave birth to two new administrative units: Awiodyek and Amach Town Council. It disappeared during the process of demarcation, but it is just there by name. Even elections were not conducted in that sub-county,” Mr Okello said in September.
Indeed, the Lira returning officer, Mr George William Alyao, said the documents he received from the Electoral Commission did not have Amach Sub-county.
“When they were separating Amach Town Council from Amach Sub-county, I think there was an error between the office of the LC5 and the Ministry of Local Government. The error caused the ministry to erase Amuch and maintain the new town council,” he said.
The chairperson of Paimol Sub-county in Agago District, Mr Richard Ngomkura, said the mother sub-counties have been told to share resources with the new units.
The local leaders voiced their concerns during a one-day training on local council leadership and economic development organised by Agago North County MP Amos John Okot.
The meeting was held at Kokil Primary School.
Maj David Amone, the minister of production and trade at Kerkwaro Acholi (Acholi Cultural Institution), advised the local leaders to stop relying on the central government’s money and focus on increasing local revenue.
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