Kole, Uganda | Minister In-charge General Duties at the Office of the Prime Minister, Justine Kasule Lumumba, has directed Kole District leaders to urgently address governance and service delivery failures, following the district’s sharp drop in national performance rankings.
Her message was delivered during a Baraza organised by the Office of the Prime Minister in Alito Sub-county.
The event gathered government officials, civil servants, and the public to assess service delivery and local accountability mechanisms.
Representing the minister, Dr. John Kalule said it was disheartening to see Kole drop from 11th place in 2021 to 137th in 2022/23, and now to 136th in 2023/24.
He noted that the fall reflected serious weaknesses in how services were being delivered and called for immediate action.
Dr. Kalule stated that the Minister was concerned about the district’s poor performance and emphasized that government funding would increasingly be based on such rankings.
He explained that the minister had urged leaders to improve governance or risk further decline.
According to Kalule, Minister Lumumba also criticized district officials for blocking access to various government programmes and for failing to communicate effectively with the public, factors she believed were contributing to poor development outcomes.
Kole North Member of Parliament, Dr. Samuel Opio Acuti pointed to internal structural weaknesses as the root of underperformance.
He said that only two of Kole’s 11 sub-counties had confirmed Sub-county Chiefs, with the remaining nine managed by caretakers, which compromised administrative efficiency.
He further alleged that bribery and favouritism had affected recruitment processes in the district.
Dr. Opio said this lack of transparency had eroded trust and contributed to poor service delivery.
He added that many residents were unaware of government programmes due to ineffective communication by local leaders.
Resident District Commissioner Josephine Omara Olili defended the ruling government’s track record in Kole, stating that the Parish Development Model had reached 14,077 households, with over UGX 13 billion already disbursed.
She also highlighted additional government support through EMYOOGA, UWEP, and YLP, saying these initiatives were transforming lives in the district.
She reportedly urged district leaders to enhance local implementation of these programmes to ensure broader community impact.
Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Emmanuel Soita Wamburu admitted that unfilled civil service positions were contributing to inefficiencies.
He said only 72% of posts had been filled, which hindered effective service delivery.
Wamburu observed that despite the youth making up the bulk of Kole’s population, many were not engaging in income-generating activities.
He expressed frustration with such disengagement, which he said was holding back development.
He also chased District Health Officer (DHO) Moses Ray Ogwang from the meeting for attempting to present information that was not documented in hard copy.
Kole District has a population of 209,131, including 132,346 males and 161,955 females.
Residents used the Baraza to express concerns about extortion in the disbursement of PDM funds, poor road conditions, and a general lack of access to information regarding government services.
The Baraza concluded with a strong call from OPM representatives and district stakeholders for urgent reforms, improved transparency, and a return to the standards that once placed Kole among Uganda’s top-performing districts.
