With Uganda’s grassroots elections now concluded, Permanent Secretary Ben Kumumanya’s message puts the new leaders on notice: the ballot has delivered the mandate, but service, accountability and development will define their legacy
By Brian Mugenyi
mugenyijj@gmail.com
KAMPALA, UGANDA — The votes have been counted, the winners declared and Uganda’s long-awaited Local Council I (LC I) and Local Council II (LC II) elections concluded—but for Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Ben Kumumanya, the most important chapter begins now.
With citizens having exercised their democratic right to choose leaders closest to them, Kumumanya’s message is no longer an appeal to voters preparing to go to the polls. It is a post-election charge to the leaders who have received the people’s mandate: turn decentralisation into visible service, accountability, participation and community development.
The Local Council I and Local Council II structures remain the bedrock of Uganda’s decentralised system of governance.
Since the introduction of decentralisation, Government has deliberately brought leadership and decision-making closer to the people, enabling communities to participate actively in identifying priorities, monitoring public services and holding leaders accountable.
This has been demonstrated through the bold participation of citizens during recent visits by the Ministers of Local Government to the Bugisu Sub-region, where communities openly exposed corrupt practices and demanded greater accountability.
Now, with the elections concluded, that spirit of citizen participation faces its biggest test.
Will the new leaders listen? Will they account? Will they deliver?
For Kumumanya, the answer must be found in the way the newly elected LC I and LC II leaders use the authority entrusted to them.
The election, in other words, is not the destination.
It is the beginning of the work.
The post THE VILLAGE HAS SPOKEN: PS BEN KUMUMANYA’S OPEN LETTER TO A NEW ERA OF LC I AND LC II LEADERSHIP appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.