Ntoroko and Kicwamba advocacy forums hold service delivery monitoring and accountability workshops.

Kicwamba Forum for Development and Service Delivery Advocacy Group located in Kabarole District and Ntoroko Concerned Citizens advocacy forum held knowledge sharing workshops on service delivery monitoring and accountability in their respective areas on 15^th and 16^th November, 2012. The knowledge sharing workshops attracted local leaders from Kicwamba and Kanara Sub Counties in Kabarole and Ntoroko districts respectively to give accountability.

Chairperson of Kicwamba S/C giving accountability.

In Kicwamba, the meeting was held at the Sub County Headquarters and attracted the area sub county chairperson, the Community Development Officer, the Chairperson of the water board, the sub county speaker, the sub county production secretary and the area district councilor among others. The local leaders gave accountability and sensitized the participants on the roles and mandates of their offices. The issues raised included ensuring transparency in the procurement process in the NAADS program in the sub county to avoid provision of substandard crop and animal varieties to the local farmers, improved monitoring of the health center III staff to avoid absenteeism and late reporting and improved information access by local citizens especially as regards information on road contracts to ensure improved monitoring.

In Kanara Sub County, the knowledge sharing workshop attracted the area sub county chairperson, the sub county speaker, the fisheries officer, the chairperson of the Rwebisengo landing site, the education inspector, the District Internal Security Officer for Kanara Sub County and the local councilors.

The issues raised included transparency in revenue collection in the fisheries department, repair of the Rwangara – Rwebisengo road which is in a bad state, improved support for Rwangara Health Center II especially with malaria drugs, construction of more health centers in the sub county to meet the increasing demand for health services by the increasing population, improved information access by the local people from the local leaders for improved monitoring of government services and extension of safe clean water to the sub county among others.

Assistant DISO Kanara Sub County Stressing a point.

During the meeting the District Internal Security Officer for Kanara Sub County expressed interest to be a member of ToroDev to scale ToroDev efforts in ensuring improved monitoring of service delivery in the sub county. Previously, ToroDev faced threats from security agents especially in Kabarole districts for hosting members of one of the advocacy forums to demand accountability on the “Listener’s Forum” radio talkshow on Better http://torodev.blogspot.com/2012/07/security-chiefs-meet-better-fm-radio_7893.html

During the knowledge sharing public accountability forums, ToroDev staff empowered the participants with knowledge and skills in monitoring service delivery, demanding accountability, rights to information access and broadcasting for improved public accountability. A founder member of the Mugusu Forum Development, Mukwano Ssenyonjo who heads one of the model advocacy forums attended the two meetings and made presentations to share knowledge and skills in service delivery monitoring and accountability with the two advocacy forums.

ToroDev supported the initiation of the above advocacy forums and is continuing to support the initiation of other advocacy forums in the Rwenzori Region districts through trainings and support to service delivery monitoring. ToroDev is currently involved in the strengthening of the advocacy forums through training of its members in online advocacy tools in all the seven districts of the Rwenzori Region.