Poor budgetary allocations are hindering effective service delivery in local councils according to a report released on Thursday.
The report by Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE) score card, states that public service delivery in district councils, is in a state of flux.
Health facilities, water and sanitation, road infrastructure and education are not monitored at the district councils.
The scorecard report identifies funding problems, creation of new districts, low levels of the awareness of citizen rights towards essentials needs, poor record keeping and lack of capacity facilitation for councilors as some of the bottlenecks for poor performance of local councils, chairpersons and their speakers.
Lillian Muyomba Tamale, the ACODE program manager for the local governments score card says improvement of service delivery at the local councils shall only be possible, when local government councilors develop the capacity and confidence to engage the central governments to achieve fundamental reforms.
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The ACODE local government score card is intended to strengthen citizen’s demand for effective accountability in the delivery of public services amongst local leaders.
Godber Tumushabe, the executive director ACODE says the 2009/10 score card is based on assessments conducted in 20 districts of Kampala, Mukono, Kamuli, Rukungiri Gulu and Mbale.
Others are Nakapiripiti Amuria, Jinja, Nebbi and Soroti among others.
Tumushabe noted that during the assessment period several councils had no records on the monitoring of schools, or opening up of a new feeder road, which would be one of the benchmarks for linking the councils to the electorates.
Tumushabe cited Nakapiripiti district which he says has only one percent pit latrine coverage, access to safe water at 33 percent, and with a road network of only 197 kilometers of district roads.
He says in the 20 district the biggest council had 33 councilors and the smallest 9, but that in some of the councils there were reports indicating that some of the councilors do not speak in council for the entire five years despite attending all the council meetings only to sign for their allowances.
Gulu district council emerged the 2009/2010 best council with 78 points out 100, followed by Luweero 76, and Amuria and Kampala at 69 points.
Ronald Ndawula, the former Luweero district chairperson emerged the best performing chairperson with 86 points followed by Norbert Mao, Gulu district at 80 points and Bernard Mujasi chairperson Mbale district with 78 points.
Shifrah Lukwago, the former speaker Kampala district emerged the best performing speaker with 74 points followed by Denis Singahakye of Ntugamo district with 71 points and Marten Ojara Gulu with 69 points.
While the worst performing district councils were Bulisa and Nakapiripiti with 38 points each.
Fred Lukumu, the chairperson Bulisa and Zedekia Karokora of Rukungiri were the worst performing district chairpersons for the year at 23 and 42 points.
Muyomba is hopeful that continuous assessment of leaders through the annual score cards right from the local councils shall guide voters during the election period.
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