Bardege-Layibi Division MP Martin Ojara Mapenduzi has urged parliament to prioritise the welfare of local government leaders.
The former Gulu district chairperson warned that decades of poor remuneration, shrinking fiscal autonomy and inadequate funding are undermining service delivery at the grassroots.
He made the remarks while addressing newly elected members of parliament during an induction session at parliament. He said local governments remain the backbone of public service delivery but continue to receive limited financial support despite shouldering the bulk of responsibilities in education, healthcare, roads and community services.
“When you meet local government leaders, you will see from their faces the kind of anger they have. They look at members of parliament as the source of their problems,” Mapenduzi said.
“The district chairpersons will tell you they are paid about Shs 2.3 million gross, and when it is taxed, they take home about Shs 1.7 million. That has been the position for more than 20 years,” he added.
Mapenduzi noted that although district chairpersons are the political heads of their districts and provide both political and administrative leadership, they earn considerably less than some of the technical officers they are expected to supervise.
“Parliament needs to interest itself in these critical needs of local government and push so that we are able to support them as we expect them to deliver effective services,” he said.
He also expressed concern that local governments have been allocated only about nine per cent of the Shs 84.3 trillion national budget for the 2026/27 financial year, saying the allocation falls far short of what is required to deliver services effectively.
“This financial year, local governments have been allocated only nine per cent of the national budget. Look at how much they are expected to provide in terms of services and how little they are given. If parliament does not care about local governments, then local governments will have very little to do for the citizens at the grassroots,” he said.
Mapenduzi argued that parliament’s commitment to decentralisation should be reflected not only in legislation but also in budget allocations, saying stronger local governments would translate into improved governance, accountability and service delivery.
He attributed the current challenges partly to the Public Finance Management Act, 2015, which requires locally generated revenue to be remitted to the Consolidated Fund before it is appropriated back to local governments.
“Before 2015, local governments would generate local revenue, plan, budget and spend it. But after the Public Finance Management Act, local governments have to mobilise local revenue and send it to the Consolidated Fund. Even when they collect more than what was planned, they cannot spend that money without Parliament approving a supplementary budget,” he explained.
According to Mapenduzi, the arrangement has significantly eroded the financial autonomy that local governments previously enjoyed under Uganda’s decentralisation framework.
He reminded legislators that Parliament had previously acknowledged concerns over the centralisation of local revenue when Wakiso District Woman MP Betty Naluyima tabled a motion in the 11th parliament urging government to allow local governments to retain and spend locally generated revenue.
Although Parliament adopted the motion, he noted that the law itself remained unchanged.
“The Hon. Betty Naluyima moved a motion in the 11th parliament urging government to reverse the decision to collect all locally generated revenue through the Consolidated Fund. But you cannot change the law by merely passing a resolution of parliament. If we want to reverse that position, we must amend the law,” he said.
Mapenduzi also appealed to MPs to strengthen their engagement with district councils by attending council meetings, maintaining regular contact with local leaders and proactively supporting local governments instead of intervening only after problems arise.
“I would really plead with members of parliament to take responsibility and attend district council meetings. You cannot be busy throughout five years. If you cannot attend, ask for the council resolutions and follow up on the issues requiring parliamentary intervention. It is not about competing for power; it is about what you can offer your district and your people,” he said.
He criticised Parliament’s oversight approach, arguing that committees often conduct “post-mortems” after funds have already been mismanaged instead of providing continuous oversight to prevent abuse.
“There is a perception among local governments that parliament only comes to investigate after things have gone wrong. We do a lot more post-mortem than proactively supporting local governments to perform better. Oversight should not only be about exposing failures but helping institutions succeed,” he said.
Mapenduzi further called for increased funding for the ministry of Local Government to facilitate a comprehensive review of Uganda’s decentralisation policy and amendments to the Local Government Act, saying several provisions no longer reflect the realities facing local governments.
His call received immediate backing from Kilak North MP Anthony Akol, who said parliament has for years failed to address the glaring disparity between the salaries of political leaders and technical officers in local governments.
“I have been in parliament for 10 years, and I have tried through the Budget Committee to push for the salaries of chairpersons to be increased,” Akol said.
“In a situation where the chief administrative officer earns more than Shs 10 million and the LC V chairperson takes home less than Shs 2 million, how can the LC V chairperson effectively supervise somebody who earns much more than them?”
Akol also questioned the academic qualifications required for some elected local government leaders, proposing the introduction of a minimum qualification for LC III chairpersons.
“The level of education, especially in the LC III system, is another concern. Some LC III chairpersons cannot even write their names, yet they are supposed to supervise sub-county chiefs who are graduates and, in some cases, hold master’s degrees. Why don’t we put a minimum qualification of senior four? At least somebody who can read reports, understand figures and appreciate what is happening,” he said.
Mapenduzi concluded that if parliament expects local governments to improve service delivery, it must match those expectations with adequate financing, stronger institutional support and better welfare for the leaders charged with implementing government programmes at the grassroots.
“We expect local governments to do more, but we must also furnish them with what they require to perform. Coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress, and working together is success,” he said.