ToroDev
under post election agenda program embarked on reaching elected leaders from
the Rwenzori region to capture their pledges committed to the electorates for
the 2016/2021 term of office, this was during & after campaigns in 2016.
It is
now a full year and some months since they made those sounding pledges and now we
take a look at how far they have fulfilled what they pledged.
Emmanuel Kajubu is a journalist and an
ICT4Democracy in East Africa Media Fellow where ToroDev is a partner organization,
during his fellowship work, he engaged the elected leaders in Rwenzori particularly
on what they pledged during campaigns & now shares what he found on ground;
During
the 2016 elections local leaders in the Rwenzori region set out impressive
pledges for the electorate. They promised to improve service delivery in areas
of education, health, roads, water and sanitation and among others.
It’s
now a year and six months since voters went to the polls to elect their leaders
right from LC3 to Members of Parliament.
However
an analysis carried out reveals voters are bitter that the leaders are yet to
fulfill any of the pledges they made during the campaigns.
David Agaba
is a resident of Hamura village, Kahunge Sub County in Kamwenge. Agaba like any
other voter in the area says that their leaders only go back to them to look
for votes. Agaba, a farmer says he is tired of voting for leaders who abandon
who do not keep their promises once they are elected.
“We
voted the LC3 chairperson, but can you imagine he has never come back to us to
find out if there are issues affecting us,” Agaba says. He notes that Peter
Hebarera, the LC3 Chairperson promised to lobby for the construction of feeder
roads in the sub county.
Agaba
says that maize and rice farmers are facing difficulties to access markers for
their produce due to the bad roads.
“The
feeder roads here are very bad and yet there are many farmers here. Some of our
produce is getting spoilt,” Agaba says.
Beatrice Atwine, another resident of Hamura says
that the area is faced with lack for access to clean and safe water. She says
that the district chairperson promised to address the challenge, but he has
kept his promise.
“Most
people in the sub county do not have easy access to clean water sources and
health services. The leadership of the district is aware, but they are quiet,”
Kwesiga says.
Charles
Aguma, an opinion leader in Kamwenge district says that they plan to form a
pressure group to demand for accountability from their elected leaders. Aguma says
those who are out of touch with the voters and are not working for the
development of the electorate, risk not to be re-elected in the next elections.
However,
Hebarera says that since being elected he has so far done much good for the
sub-county. He cites the renovation of Rukunyu Health Centre II which he
lobbied for and the completion of Rukunyu Primary School.
“As a
leader, you can’t please everyone, but I have at least done something for my
people since I was elected. There are still four years to come,” the
chairperson said.
Aggrey
Natumanya, the Kamwenge District Chairperson attributes this to low revenue
collected by the district. He explains that because of the low revenue, it has
affected service delivery in the district.
“We
have a challenge of revenue. The money we receive from the Finance Ministry is
inadequate to provide service to our people,”
He however
says that in this financial year, the district will focus on improving local
revenue collection by introducing and assets register to enable them collect
local revenue adequately.
In
Kabarole, the District Woman Member of Parliament, Sylvia Rwabwogo, pledged to
build a strong foundation for the girl child education by establishing Kaayana
Ka Tooro Education Fund.
Asked
on the progress of the fund, Rwabwogo says that she is still lobbying for
financial support from well-wishers to kick start the foundation. She however
says that she has carried out awareness campaigns and meeting with parents on
the need for educating girls.
“The
education fund is a long term venture which requires funding and I am hopeful
it will start any time. During consultative meetings, I spare time to sensitize
the parents to educate their children especially girls,” Rwabwogo says.
However
some leaders have managed to fulfill one or two pledges they promised to voters.
In
Rwimi Sub County, Bunyangabu district, schools have registered an increase in
the number of pupils. This is being attributed to the promise made by Abel
Ngomayondi, the Mayor Rwimi Town Council.
During
the campaigns, he promised to arrest parents who do not take their children to
school.
At
Rwimi Primary School, this person the head teacher says that in the past,
parents were engaging their children in domestic work. He now says that
enrollment has increased from 600 pupils to 1,250.
“We thank
the Mayor for his efforts to improve education in Rwimi, abseentessim is no
more and the parents now know the importance of education,” the headmaster
says.
Ngomayondi
says that since August last year, more than 30 parents have been arrested and
it has been a lesson to other parents who are denying their education the right
to education.
In Ntoroko districts, schools in Rwebisengo
town council are now properly managed through the formation of the School
Management Committees. The committees which
are provided for in the Education Act 2008act as
educational policy-making bodies for the schools and work together with head
teachers to provide services that ensure quality teaching and learning.
Hussein Ahmed, the Mayor Rwebisengo town
council says that his first task in office was to help revive the committees which
had become inactive.
“The committees are important in management of
schools. Without them, head teachers and parents will face challenges,” Ahmed
says.
We thank all our development partners for the
financial & technical support.
