District, Municipal, Town Councils & RDCs a Decentralisation Mismatch - I’ve written about decentralisation mentioning a combinatory system, driving it to its stagnation and perpetual demise.
- In that respect much ink is spilled about corruption but nothing has been said about its emergency on administrative and organisational levels. - For corruption to exist enduring socio-economic and political structures must be excessively compromised. - Just imagine that the same parliament passes a political party bill and the same parliament also passes a referendum bill. Don’t waste my time. - THE LAW - VERY INTERESTING INDEED, HAS CAST a DICE. My last check revealed 72 parties picking forms and more than 10 registered. - A mismatch implying Uganda’s problems are far from being resolved. - Well as there is craving for constitutional amendments, straightening up enduring and cascading structures does not arise. No business for the honourables! - Proponents for and against constitutional changes a large majority are all compromised and working within the system for their self-sustenance. - A system that has RDC, LC V, Mayors on top and DEOs up and Municipal EO down, DSOs up and (LDU) down, DHOs up and LHO down etceteras becomes gothic and liable and susceptible to internal contradictions. - A Member of Parliament therefore, must be largely ceremonial and his/her position symbolic. - Proponents of decentralisation saw my arguments as a move in the opposite direction devoid of analysis of embedded conflicting structures. - However in all places I have been Chief Administrative Officers are largely very healthy people given to their body size compared to rest co-workers! - Now, enter our traditional structures – with all kingdom super and sub-structures from which decentralisation derives and was assumed as a modernisation stance. - What does the district do that can’t be done by municipalities or town councils? - Suppose five kingdoms get their way – and start administering roads, schools, healthcare centres, what will be the role of districts, municipal or town councils? - A Combinatory - On municipal level we have; mayors, town clerks, financial administrator as well as planners, municipal agents of whatever nature there is. - Same system is replicated above with LC.V (governors), then Chief Administrative Officers (C.A.O), district planners and works, Chief financial officers (C.F.O) and facilitators as well as planners and councillors of this and that. - The above system is repeated on town, municipal council level. - In fact some forms of healthcare is offered on municipality or town council level as education and social welfare. - The gist comes with ALLOCATION OF FUNDS and implementation of such ADMINISTRATIVE AND ORGANISATION cores. - In essence district, municipal and town councils all have to share small amounts of money – in form of grants and central government budgetary allocations. - But who implements what for instance district and urban road construction – city or district councils? - Most often there is no working relationship what so ever between district councils, town or municipal councils. - The next problem comes with who get the rewards in form of wages, praises and indeed akasiimo, kitu kidogo- - That is where corruption becomes even more rampant and enigmatic. - Rooting corruption from i.e. the district administration will in turn push it down to the town council level and vice-vicer. - For instance if one is royal to municipality affairs, the same does not apply to the district level because of different sociological and monetary issues. - When ones work is dismissed, under-funded, ignored and praises go somewhere else since one is a lower cadre or less desired there up – there is a real problem. - All in all, decentralisation is system as self-demotivator and the cost is rampant corruption everywhere since everyone must get a fat payback check. - I believe to maintain such a system the country must be very rich indeed. - Let us talk federal - I will assume, when districts decide to get together i.e. in form of a federate districts more emphasis should be on the social and economic rather than political implications. - Why - Who is paying for the decentralisation mismatch? Taxpayers? Or donors? - Next time wait for a scholarly analysis of social transformation re: urban/ rural planning as I try to finally set an ideological stand point in change the current political impasse. I wish to remain Bwanika @ [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.idrconsulting.com Bwanika ________ http://www.idrconsulting.com --> for your consultancy needs _______________________________________________ Ugandanet mailing list Ugandanet@kym.net http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/