Kabarole District Councilors have asked government to avail them with vehicles to help them in transport while executing their duties.
The request was raised by Annet Asasira the female councilor representing Kasenda Sub-county during the District council sitting at the district headquarters in Kitumba Fort Portal city on Monday.
Asasira told the council that to monitor government programs at the grassroots level requires means of transport for the councilors.
She observed that the government gave out motorcycles to the Sub-county LC III chairpersons and now is giving out bicycles to the LC I and II chairpersons but the councilors have been left out yet they also do a significant role in the monitoring.
She said that government should consider providing them with either cars or motorcycles to help ease their movements as they are executing their duties.
John Amanyire Kasweta the councilor representing Hakibale Sub county said that one of the major responsibilities of a councilor is to monitor government programs but they cannot fulfill this obligation due to the challenges they face with transport.
He adds that the sub-county chairpersons who were given motorcycles serve the same areas as the councilors therefore it is discriminatory to leave out the councilors.
The councilors’ request follows a move by the government through the Ministry of Local Government to procure bicycles for village and parish chairpersons to help them in monitoring government programs.
In an October 26 letter to Chief Administrative Officers and Town Clerks, Ben Kumumanya, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Local Government, asked them to deliver the bicycles to the intended beneficiaries and then submit a report two weeks after the distribution. Kabarole District council is comprised of 32 Councilors.
In 2020, government spent more than 10 Billion shillings to procure motorcycles for all sub county chairpersons in the country, and in 2016 it spent more than 11 Billion shillings to procure new double cabin pick-ups for District Chairpersons.
In Kabarole district, the bicycles will be distributed to the LC I and LC II chairpersons on this week.
