Local Youth advocacy forum participates in local government budgeting meeting.

Kichwamba Monitoring of Service Delivery Advocacy Group (KMSDAG) members on Tuesday, 7^th August 2012 participated in the Kichwamba Sub County budgeting meeting which was also attended by the Sub County local councilors and Sub County Speaker. The meeting was held at Kichwamba Sub County Headquarters in Kabarole District.

According to the sub county speaker, the main objective of the budgeting meeting was to improve the quality of life for the local people by making a budget which will improve the incomes of the local people and also improve service delivery.

Kichwamba Youth attending the meeting...

“The budget should also be focused on the millennium development goals and address programme priority areas as set out in the national strategy for development especially vision 2025.” Said the Sub County Speaker.

During the budgeting meeting, youth from KMSDAG advocacy forum identified their priority areas as production so as to reduce unemployment among the youth, environment and natural resources, road and bridge construction, construction of parish offices and halls, improved budgetary allocations to primary health care, improved sanitation and extension of safe drinking water, education support, improved budgetary allocations to Sub County land surveying to reduce on government land grabbing and increased funding to community based services.

The youth also advocated for the change of the Sub County staff motivational policy by attaching it to performance on revenue collection so that staff can work to improve on the revenues of the Sub County for improved service delivery. 

The youth further appealed to the Sub County Speaker and the local councilors to allocate the Sub County budget according to the priority areas set by them.

The youth advocacy forum was formed to monitor service delivery and improve youth participation in local government planning and budgeting processes in Kichwamba Sub County, Kabarole District. The advocacy forum is supported by Toro Development Network.

Documented by Akugizibwe Solomon.

ToroDev develops a five year strategic plan, to spur growth and reduce poverty.

ToroDev has developed a five year strategic plan (2011-2015) to guide the growth and relevance of the organization as it transforms itself into a strong and sustainable institution fighting poverty and economic under development in the seven districts of the Rwenzori region. 

The organization also envisages the other cross-cutting sustainable development factors – social, political and environmental – that need maximum attention. Therefore, most of the strategies of achieving the objectives of the plan will always put these factors into considerations, both at planning and implementation levels. 

ToroDev Strategic Plan

However, the main purpose of the Plan is to provide the unity of purpose in implementing ToroDev’s corporate vision and mission. As a management tool, the Plan is intended to provide the Board of Directors, Management/technical staff and partners with a framework within which both strategic and operational governance, management, partnership and program decisions would be made.

In more specific terms, the Plan seeks to guide the organization in maximizing its strategic and comparative advantages in the poverty alleviation and economic empowerment movement in the Rwenzori region and Uganda as a whole and provide a framework for operational planning, programs development, resource mobilization, monitoring and evaluation; and finally, guide partners in making strategic choices and decisions.

The central theme of the Strategic Plan is “Towards Economic Empowerment for Sustainable Development”.

The broad aim of the Plan is to broaden and strengthen the organization’s ICT for development for economic, social and political empowerment initiatives and to work with community groups, individuals and institutional partners to promote access to information and communication for sustainable livelihoods and productive economic opportunities.

The Plan seeks to promote community-led socio-economic development initiatives and to enhance capacities of partner communities to ensure widespread social security as well as sustainable access to productive and income-generating opportunities.

The Plan further seeks to promote attitude and behavior change, inculcate a strong sense of self-reliance, ICT development and integration, access better development infrastructure including marketing, transport and energy systems.

Using research, information exchange, and advocacy and networking strategies, ToroDev will work towards ensuring that the voices, participation and involvement of marginalized groups in both rural and urban governance processes and management of public resources are strengthened. 

Documented by Solomon Akugizibwe

Another advocacy forum formed in Hakibaale Sub-County, Kabarole District to Monitor Service Delivery.

Youth of Hakibaale Sub-County in Kabarole district have formed an advocacy group called ‘Committed Citizens for Better Services’ to monitor the delivery of government services in their area. The formation of the group has been inspired by the ‘Listeners Forum’ radio program which is supported by Toro Development Network (ToroDev) in partnership with Better FM, Fort Portal.

The advocacy group follows the formation of other advocacy groups in Ntoroko district and in the Kabarole District Sub Counties of Mugusu, Kisomoro and Katebwa.

During the initiation of the ‘Listeners Forum’ talkshow in January, 2012, ToroDev has been actively encouraging the formation of advocacy groups to enable sustainable monitoring of service delivery in the Rwenzori Region districts.

Participants from Hakibaale Sub County. 

The group will be officially launched on Saturday, 28^th July, 2012 in Hakibaale Sub County, Kabarole district where all political leaders have been invited and the King of Tooro Kingdom, Oyo Nyimba Kabamba Iguru Rukiidi IV will be the chief guest according to Amanyire Kaswata John the founder of the advocacy group.

According to Kasweta, the objectives of the advocacy group include among others; bridging the gap between local people and their political leaders, assisting local leaders in monitoring service delivery, fighting corruption, promoting unity and cooperation between local leaders and the local population, improve the delivery of government services and to give a voice to the voiceless.

While appearing on the ‘Listeners Forum’ talkshow, on Sunday, 22^nd July, 2012, members of the advocacy group Muhereza Mugara Patrick who is also a parish councilor for Hakibaale and Kasweta highlighted a number of issues affecting development of their sub county.

They appealed to the local leaders to lobby Rural Electrification Agency to extend electricity to Kabenda trading center in Hakibaale Sub County to enable the reduction of unemployment levels especially among the youth through the starting up agro-processing industries and other small scale businesses which require electricity like saloons.

The members of the advocacy group also highlighted the poor state of the education sector, water and sanitation sector and road sector and appealed to their leaders to take action through increased budget allocations to those sectors and improved monitoring to avoid shody work by technocrats.

ToroDev staff, Akugizibwe Solomon while appearing on the same talkshow promised to build the capacities of members of service delivery advocacy groups through training in ICT skills, monitoring and evaluation, skills in monitoring service delivery, skills in information access and sharing and documentation among others.

ToroDev is a public accountability NGO operating in the Rwenzori Region districts of Western Uganda. ToroDev sponsors the ‘Listeners Forum’ radio program on Better FM which focuses on discussing issues of public accountability for improved service delivery. The radio talkshows which mainly targets the marginalized population groups of rural women and youth broadcasts every Sunday for 2 hours (08:00 – 10:00pm).

Security chiefs meet Better FM radio manager over the ‘listener’s forum’ program.

Security chiefs from the Internal Security Organization (ISO) held a meeting on Monday, 16^th July, 2012 (Monday) with the Better FM radio manager Nyakahuma Patrick over the ‘Listeners Forum’ radio talk show held on Sunday, 15^th July, 2012.

According to Nyakahuma, the security chiefs wanted a recording of the talkshow to enable them review it because they viewed it as 'controversial.' ToroDev Executive Director, Johnstone Baguma described the meeting as a form of intimidation by Uganda security agents over the years to repress civil society organizations involved in empowering communities take charge of their own destiny through demanding accountability from their leaders.

Participants from Kisomoro on the show.

Nyakahuma indicated that the talkshow was within the limits of the law but the threats by the security chiefs should be taken seriously. He appealed to panelists to always tactfully present their issues without directly attacking political leaders to avoid such security interrogation’s which might eventually result in closure of the FM radio station and continued arrests and intimidation of civil society activists.  

In 2009, four FM radio stations in Uganda were closed including the Buganda Kingdom radio called CBS FM which were accused of broadcasting issues which were promoting insecurity during the Buganda riots when the government denied the Buganda King to tour one of his County of Bugerere.

An inside source in the meeting told ToroDev that the Uganda leadership is tightening the grip on FM radio stations across the country following the increasing unrest over corruption, bad service delivery, high inflation, high unemployment rates and recent loses in parliamentary by-elections by the ruling NRM party. FM radios are the most popular media channel for information access and sharing especially by the rural populace since they are cheap and convenient to their lifestyles.

The radio program which was moderated by ‘Listeners Forum’ Mukonyenzi Wilfred was discussing, “Service delivery in Kabarole district; A case of Kisomoro Sub-County.” The talkshow included panelists from Kisomoro Sub- County namely; Kiiza Clovis Pantaleo, Yoweri Besisa and Muganzi Richard and Magezi Anthony from Karambi Sub-County in Kabarole District.

The panelists highlighted issues of poor infrastructure especially the Isekahora Bridge in Kisomoro Sub-County which broke down a few months after being worked on due to shoddy work as a result of corruption.

They also reminded political leaders to fulfill their promises they made during the campaigns to help improve the livelihoods of the people in the sub county. The panelists also highlighted issues of poor health services, poor road network and limited support to the agricultural sector resulting in the high unemployment rates in the Sub-County of Kisomoro.

The ‘listeners Forum’ radio program which aims at discussing issues of public accountability for improved service delivery is held every Sunday (08:00 – 10:00pm) on Better FM Fort Portal; the radio talkshow is sponsored by Toro Development Network (ToroDev) a local public accountability NGO operating in the Rwenzori Region of Western Uganda.

Documented by Solomon Akugizibwe

Advocacy group formed to monitor the delivery of government services

Youth in Mugusu Sub-County, Kabarole district have formed a advocacy group called Mugusu United for Better Services Forum to monitor the delivery of government services especially roads, schools, water and health services which are in dire state.

The advocacy group was started in March, 2012 following the participation of one of the founding members Senyonjo Mukwano on the “listener’s forum” live talkshow on Better FM, Fort Portal. The “Listeners Forum” live talkshow which discusses issues of public accountability for improved service delivery is supported by Toro Development Network (ToroDev) in partnership with Better FM. The talkshow which started airing in January, 2012 is broadcasted every Sunday (08:00 – 10:00pm) for a whole year.

Members of Mugusu Pressure Group on Listeners Forum

While appearing on the live talkshow on 1^st July, 2012, to discuss the topic titled, “Monitoring Service Delivery by Concerned Citizens in Rwenzori Region; A case of Mugusu Sub County, Kabarole District,” the interim chairperson of the group Mr. Senyonjo Mukwano indicated that the objectives of the group is to empower the local community for development through improved public information access and sharing and also ensuring consultative leadership for improved accountability.

According to Mukwano, the advocacy group has already held consultative meetings with the Sub County and District Chairpersons, Kabarole district Woman Member of Parliament and the County Member of Parliament.

Mukwano appealed to the local leaders to lobby for more roads, clean water, improved health services and improved schools to help improve the livelihoods of the people.

The advocacy group will continue to hold more consultative meetings with the local leaders to demand for accountability and also monitor government services implemented by the local governments in Mugusu Sub County, Kabarole District.

ToroDev staff, Solomon Akugizibwe appealed to local communities in the Rwenzori Region districts to replicate such initiatives in the local communities to ensure improved service delivery through improved monitoring.  

Listeners Forum radio program help fix Ntoroko District Road

On Sunday 3^rd June, 2012, local citizens from Ntoroko district appeared on the ‘the listener’s forum’ radio program on Better FM in Fort Portal to highlight the issues affecting their district in-terms of service delivery.

The Listeners Forum radio program is held every Sunday (08:00 – 10:00pm) on Better FM radio. It is sponsored by ToroDev and is aimed at improving accountability from local leaders for improved service delivery in the Rwenzori Region, Western Uganda. 

Ntoroko District Chairperson (Right) and ToroDev Staff (Left) during the talkshow

The local citizens from Ntoroko District who appeared on the Talkshow to discuss, “Good Governance and Service Delivery in Rwenzori Region; A case of Ntoroko District,” included Mirembe Amos, Rusoke Julius, Balinda Moses and Muntu.

The issues which were raised on the live talkshow included the poor state of the health sector in the district with limited medical staff, poor management of the Ntoroko fishing site, favoritism in the recruitment of the district staff, no electricity connection despite electricity lines passing through their district and the poor state of the roads. 

However, according to Byaruhanga Sight, one of the listeners of the radio program, who is also a local resident of Ntoroko district, the issue which raised most resentment from the district leadership was the Rwebisengo – Rwangara road which was responsible for the high road accident deaths due to many potholes. 

Byaruhanga while sharing his experiences on the impact of the ‘Listener Forum’ radio program during a one day evaluation workshop for the radio program held at St. Josephs Inn in Fort Portal on 21^st June, 2012 indicated that there was a lot of concern on the road because it’s a lifeline of the district economy since it connects to the two Vandals (cattle markets) of Nyakasenyi and Kyabukunguru.

According to Byaruhanga, the NtoroKo District Chairperson fixed the potholes before the cattle market day which is always there on Thursdays of every week to avert a possible demonstration based on the comments of the participants on the radio program. At the end of every radio program, 30 minutes are always dedicated to the listeners to participate in the discussions through call-ins and SMS.

The Ntoroko District Chairperson also appeared on the same Radio Program on 10^th June, 2012 to give accountability and clarify on the issues raised by local citizens in the previous radio program.

Corruption and Ignorance badly affecting the delivery of government services in Kabarole District, Western Uganda.

Toro Development Network (ToroDev) runs a live radio talkshow on Better FM radio, in Fort Portal. The live talkshow discusses issues of public accountability for improved service delivery in the seven districts of Rwenzori Region, Western Uganda. 

The radio talkshow is called “The Listener’s Forum” and runs every Sunday (08:00 to 10:00pm) for one year (January to December, 2012).

During the talkshow, local citizens participate through call-ins, SMS and live participation on the talkshow to demand accountability from their local leaders. Local leaders also participate on the live talkshow to give accountability to the local citizens.

Before, we call in local leaders to clarify on some of the issues on the live talkshow raised by the local citizens; we conduct a research to prove the claims of the local citizens.

Many times we have conducted our research, the state of service delivery in Rwenzori Region districts like in many other parts of Uganda is appalling simply because people are still ignorant with no skills and knowledge to demand accountability from their local leaders and also monitor public services. There are also high levels of corruption among public servants and political leaders leading to shoddy work.

The photos below show the state of service delivery in Kabarole district Sub-Counties of Hakibaale and Mugusu. 

Local Leaders from Kijura Sub-County Participating on the Listeners Forum Radio Program