MBARARA– A total of 210 bicycles have been handed over to Local Council I [LC I] and Local Council II [LCII] chairpersons in 24 wards and 186 villages in Mbarara City after waiting for 12 years.
Speaking at the function, Assy Abirebe, Mbarara City town clerk said local council I and II chairpersons will now be able to move fast as they monitor government programmes in their respective areas of jurisdiction.
Abirebe warned to arrest chairpersons who will sell or lose the bicycles, saying they are assets of government.
“These bicycles are for your official use in your capacity as LC chairpersons. You are not supposed to sell or give the bicycle as a gift, and it must remain property for the office. We have an instruction to arrest any leader with a missing bicycle,” Abirebe explained.
Similarly, Mbarara resident city commissioner, Lt Col. James Mwesigye asked the beneficiaries to use the given bicycles to monitor government programmes meant to fight household poverty.
“We must fight poverty and corruption because this government does a lot of things but some of them die within our hands,” Mwesigye said.
He also encouraged the local council chairpersons to fight insecurity within their villages. “Who are the people that kill others? Who are those that steal people’s property? Who are those breaking people’s houses? These are the people we live with and we lead, they are our children, our friends and our relatives whom you must report to restore peace and security in your villages,” Mwesigye said.
He also challenged the government to rehabilitate roads which are now in a poor state, saying the village and parish chairpersons will find it easy to ride their bicycles as they monitor government programmes.
John Nuwagira, LC II chairperson Ruharo ward said: “I am happy to receive the means of transport to traverse the five villages in my ward to extend services. This is something we have waited for over 10 years and we believe other incentives will find us on the way.”
However, LC I Chairman Kiyanja cell Anthony Agaba was unhappy with the government saying that it undermines LC systems during programme implementation.
“Actually I was shocked to see that the government can deliver its pledge since 2011. We know that government does not value the work we do as LC I chairpersons. It only needs us during elections to mobilise the voters. After elections, no one bothers about us and this is a reason why most government programmes have stalled,” Agaba explained
Agaba also appealed to the government to consider paying LC chairpersons Shs 100,000 monthly as an appreciation for their work.
In 2011, the government allocated Shs 11 billion for the procurement of bicycles for 70,000 village and parish chairpersons countrywide to ease their transport as they mobilise citizens for government programmes. However, the procurement of bicycles would later be suspended following allegations of corruption by some government officials.
https://thecooperator.news/alebtong-lci-on-the-run-after-selling-govt-bicycle/
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