Bushenyi district officials launch community dialogues to improve service delivery
The ongoing consultations, which began on Tuesday, are being led by the Bushenyi Resident District Commissioner [RDC], Emmy Ngabirano
BUSHENYI, July 23, 2026 — Bushenyi district officials have launched a series of grassroots community dialogues [Barazas] aimed at assessing the implementation of government programmes, addressing service delivery challenges and strengthening accountability among local leaders.
The ongoing consultations, which began on Tuesday, are being led by the Bushenyi Resident District Commissioner [RDC], Emmy Ngabirano. They involve the district executive team, senior technical staff headed by the Chief Administrative Officer [CAO], Phionah Sanyu, political leaders from Ibaare Subcounty led by Silver Byabashaija, and other local stakeholders.
During a dialogue held at Ibaare Catholic Church in Ibaare Subcounty, discussions focused largely on the implementation of government development programmes, particularly concerns over the disbursement of funds under the Parish Development Model [PDM], a government programme aimed at helping poor households in Uganda move from the subsistence to the money economy.
Addressing residents over the reported irregularities, Sanyu confirmed that several cases involving suspected misuse of PDM funds had been referred to the police for criminal investigations.
“Some of these matters have already been handed over to the police for further investigations to ensure that public funds reach the intended beneficiaries,” Sanyu said.
Officials also highlighted the social complexities surrounding the poverty alleviation programme. They cited a case in which an elderly resident had applied for PDM funding, only for his children—one a university lecturer and the other a nurse, to contact the Subcounty Chief and request that their father’s name be removed from the list of beneficiaries.
Education also featured prominently during the dialogues held in Ibaare and Bumbaire sub-counties. District officials and residents expressed concern over the declining enrolment in government primary schools compared with nearby private institutions, despite continued government investment in classrooms, teachers’ houses, furniture and scholastic materials.
Residents attributed the decline to weak parental involvement and the limited participation of school foundation bodies, noting that many parents consistently fail to attend school meetings. Others blamed public school teachers, arguing that many enrol their own children in private schools rather than the government schools where they teach, thereby undermining public confidence in the education system and reducing commitment to classroom instruction.
Teacher absenteeism was also raised as a major concern in Ibaare Subcounty, where several government teachers were reportedly absent from classrooms after signing up to participate in the in the registration exercise for village elections [LCI].
At the Bumbaire Subcounty dialogue, head teachers from several government primary schools reported enrolments of as few as 90 pupils. The figures prompted a strong response from the Chief Administrative Officer, who questioned why schools with such low enrolment continued to request additional teaching staff.
“Why should schools with such low enrolment still demand more teachers when a school of 90 pupils can be adequately served by just three teachers?” Sanyu asked, noting that the national teacher-to-pupil ratio is 1:53.
To improve the equitable distribution of teachers across the district, Sanyu directed the District Education Officer, represented at the meeting by District Inspector of Schools Michael Matigi, to rationalise staff deployment and ensure that all primary schools with 200 or more pupils are allocated the mandatory eight qualified teachers.
Commenting on governance challenges within schools, RDC Emmy Ngabirano criticised the persistent conflicts between Parents and Teachers Associations [PTAs], School Management Committees [SMCs], head teachers and religious foundation bodies. He said such disputes were undermining the quality of education and prompting parents to transfer their children to private schools.
“These conflicts over roles between the PTA, School Management Committees, head teachers and foundation bodies destabilise the learning environment. When leadership falls apart, quality declines, and parents are forced to seek alternative schools for their children,” Ngabirano said.
The community dialogues also revealed that some struggling government schools had illegally recruited unqualified private teachers to fill staffing gaps, a practice district authorities said has contributed to poor performance in the Primary Leaving Examinations [PLE].
District leaders pledged to continue the Baraza programme across all subcounties as part of efforts to strengthen administrative discipline, curb teacher absenteeism and restore public confidence in government-funded social services.
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