The delivery of services across several districts in the country continues to be affected by a number of factors ranging from lack of resources to poor transport infrastructure.
In an interview with Nile Post, Ibrahim Kitatta, LC V chairperson Lwengo district who has been outspoken about poor service delivery said they lack the authority to effect some of the programmes they promised the people.
Excerpts below:
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First, who is Kitatta Ibrahim?
Kitatta Ibrahim is a Ugandan, married to one (wife). The father of many, the true number will be ascertained possibly at my death. Our native culture doesn’t push us to name the actual number of children we have. I am a leader for Lwengo local government. I am the chairperson for the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Youth League in the central region. I have led young people for some time both in the party and national youth council. I am fairly learned. I am a businessman and an accountant by training.
What inspired you to join politics?
I have been exposed to politics from S3 but earlier our parents were leaders. We saw leadership from home. So, when I reached S.3 that is when I started to become a leader. I was a councillor for my stream for two terms, S3 and S4. I was a leader in sports. I was a captain of my small team and then later on I practiced more active leadership at the university.
When doing my masters degree, I served as mess minister and then served as prime minister. From there we joined youth leadership, which is when we began active grassroots mobilization. I have been exposed to all corridors of power. I have worked with the president of Uganda since 2014 and we have done a lot nationwide.
I was told that you were good at football during high school and many thought you were going to take that direction, what happened?
Yes, I was good at football and I am one person who used to sleep with a ball in bed. I was active in sports when I was in S1, S2. I got a little bit busy in S3, S4 and at A level to concentrate on academics hence going to Makerere University on government sponsorship. It was the advice of my father to concentrate on academics, so I put sports aside and concentrated on academics.
What is your take about the current political situation in the country?
The young people are increasingly losing hope in our government, they are increasingly losing hope in the work we do as leaders. They are increasingly looking for other solutions elsewhere. That is why they are able to support anything that comes their way. You know a frustrated person. Today as the government I think we are not doing enough to energise the hope of the young people. I think that is where we are lacking. When it comes to governance, stability, security, I think Uganda is doing perfectly well.
Since you became the LC5 Lwengo district, you have been crying and lamenting due to the poor living conditions of your people. Were you really ready to join politics?
Lwengo district began about 12 years ago. First led by Mr. (Joe) Walusimbi who is now RDC of Kasese and then later Mr. (George) Mutabazi for ten years. There are two Lwengos. The Lwengo we used to see on televisions, radios and in papers and the Lwengo I saw as I grew up. The Lwengo I saw on the campaign trail, and the Lwengo I see now. People think people in Lwengo are okay. In the 21st century, people still share water with animals. Our roads are pathetic.
People in Lwengo are poor, we have no access to proper medication. The population has grown beyond the planned facilities of healthcare. We need two government primary schools in every parish which we don’t have. We have 130 government primary schools that serve a population that goes to 45 parishes. Really it doesn’t move on well.
What measures have you put in place to address the issue of water crisis in the district?
In the last financial year, we were able to put up about four or five tanks of 30 thousand litres each. We were also able to construct two big dams. We were able to put up only two bore holes using government funds. Literally in the whole water department that is what was done in the whole district and we were able to repair 16 boreholes. We have some boreholes that are old, so we do routine repairs. There is also national water, it has offices here and we also have some partners that we work with. They are not yet able to cover the whole population. We don’t have enough water that can be pumped around.
People need solutions to their problems; they don’t want leaders who keep on lamenting and crying all the time.
There are two options, one is to keep quiet or be part of the problem. Share the problem so that it can reach the corridors of power who make prioritisation of where to make investments such that work can be done. The white man said a problem shared is a problem half solved. As a leader if you get to know a problem and you keep quiet about it you would have shown the least of faith and that is what my religion tells us.
Given the current situation in Lwengo district, as a leader do you regret joining NRM?
I am in NRM by birth. I was born in an NRM family but also when I grew up, I have been taken up through the ideologies of NRM. The only challenge we are having as NRM to me is deepening the work done at the grassroots to ensure that our people have money in their pocket. I don’t regret joining the NRM and I am humbled by Hon Mathias Mpuuga’s tweet and I take it in a very good faith. I don’t look at Hon Mathias Mpuuga as opposition leader, I look at him as a state functionary. He is at the level above a cabinet minister. I look at him as a leader in this government that I serve. I know he shared that tweet in good faith to raise the plight of the people of Lwengo.
Are you not afraid of the fact that LC5 chairpersons don’t have powers to address small issues at the district?
Government has successfully engaged in recentralisation of formerly decentralised functions of local government. We don’t know what interest the government has in the recentralisation of power.
Today even if you collect Shs20,000 at a small market, you must first send it to the centre and then you request for it to come back. Today they treat local governments as collecting centres of money for the state. They are crippling the capacity of local governments to solve small issues. For instance, we have a small-town council here called Kyazanga, we have a small store which people baptised a mortuary. The mayor of the town council is stuck with the dead bodies dumped for days and days waiting for small approvals of Shs 300,000 from the central government. This shows you the plight our people are going through.
Today almost everything we do we must get approval from the central government. We are merely holders of offices without the necessary tools of power and authority to serve and solve people’s problems at grassroots. Local governments don’t have capacity.
What are your future political ambitions?
My political ambition is to continue serving the people of Lwengo and change their lives. The position does not matter. I am focusing on doing my best where I am because that will give me a good opportunity to choose what to do next. For me as a leader, I don’t need to be an MP, I don't need to be LC V to serve my people.