ULGA Rejects Calls to Replace CAOs and RDCs Over Structural Bottlenecks

The Uganda Local Governments Association (ULGA) has strongly opposed recent proposals to wholesale replace Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) and Resident District Commissioners (RDCs). According to ULGA, attributing poor service delivery solely to administrative heads overlooks deep-seated systemic challenges, including inadequate funding and bureaucratic bottlenecks.

Speaking in Kampala, ULGA Secretary General Richard Okuku warned that replacing officials without addressing root institutional problems would merely replicate the same difficulties under new faces. The response comes in the wake of a proposal by Senior Presidential Advisor on Political Affairs Moses Byaruhanga, who advocated for a fresh crop of administrative leaders to combat corruption, staff absenteeism, and laxity in local governments.

ULGA countered that local authorities, which oversee critical sectors like primary education, healthcare, and infrastructure, are severely constrained by operational deficits. Much of the funding sent from the central government remains heavily earmarked for salaries or narrow activities, starving districts of vital resources needed for fuel, transport, and regular field monitoring of public projects.

Furthermore, the association highlighted that recruitment restrictions and prolonged clearance delays from central authorities contribute heavily to persistent staffing shortages. Even with allocated salaries, complex appointment and payroll procedures often force districts to return unspent wage funds at the end of financial years.

Funding shortfalls are also acutely felt in institutions like primary schools, where ULGA noted that the Universal Primary Education capitation grant of Shs20,000 per learner annually leaves schools struggling to meet basic operational demands.

To achieve genuine efficiency, ULGA recommends streamlining recruitment processes, reviewing grants to match actual service costs, and strengthening local audits, alongside holding genuinely corrupt or negligent officials accountable. Read more details from the Daily Monitor.