Archive for month: December, 2021

Administrators of local governments in Acholi sub-region want Parliament to decentralize approval of locally raised revenue.

This they say will improve the implementation of planned activities.

Currently, all local governments in the country deposit all locally generated revenue to the Bank of Uganda before requesting for it through the Ministry of Finance with the approval of Parliament, and it’s then disbursed to the districts for implementation of government programs.

Thomson Obong, the Chief Administrative Officer [CAO] Amuru district says, currently, several planned district activities are stalling because they haven’t received funds under local revenue from the Ministry of Finance.

In this financial year ending June 2022, Amuru district council approved local revenue of Shs.240 million but collected more than Shs.1 billion with the balance deposited in the consolidated fund with Bank of Uganda.

In November 2021, the district council passed a supplementary budget of Shs.800 million which was sent to the Ministry of Finance but still awaiting parliament’s approval, says Obong.

However, the Speaker of Parliament Hon. Jacob Oulanyah sent the house on recess for the Christmas break.

Obong further said, as a result, some of the activities that were planned have been affected and they include but are not limited to; payment of committee allowances of councilors, monitoring, procurement of fuel among others.

If local governments are to improve on their service delivery, it’s important that the government and parliament consider decentralizing approval of local revenues to local councils with strict monitoring from the central government, says Obong.

“Just imagine how we are going to operate without funds for our various activities because we were told to wait for parliament’s approval of funds; parliament has gone on recess and will return for operations in January next year,” says Obong.

“I feel it would be prudent that approval of local revenues is decentralized, and we present accountability to Parliament and government because otherwise, we will continue to perform poorly in terms of service delivery to the communities we are serving” Obong adds

Moses Otimong, the acting Town Clerk, Gulu City in a recent interview also proposed that parliament should consider decentralizing approval of local revenues.

Otimong says, currently the city seeks approval of more than Shs.1.2 billion supplementary budgets to fund their activities in the city.

Otimong says the continuous system of operation has continued to hurt the local governments and, in the end, cheat the community members who should be benefiting from the revenues they collect.

Michael Lakony, the Amuru district LCV Chairperson says, this has portrayed local government leaders as people who are poor performers which manifests in high turnover in election losses, especially by the LCV Chairpersons.

Among more than the 120 LCV Chairpersons who contested in this year’s elections, only about 20 retained their positions.

According to Lakony, Parliament needs to repeal the act in the Public Finance Management Act which bars local governments from budgeting and approval of local revenues.

“Many people perceive the political leaders in the local government as corrupt, and poor service providers and yet, in reality, there’s no actual cash at their disposal to run their respective local governments” Lakony notes

“The problem I foresee in our struggle is that most MPs look at local government leaders as their competitors which makes it very tricky for them to allow funds for full operations” Lakony adds

Emmanuel Orach, the LCV Chairperson Nwoya district says, the delays to release funds from the central government are manifested in poor road conditions, lack of monitoring especially for the Councilors and the Office of the LCV Chairpersons.

“The community members do not want to know whether there’s a delay in the release of funds from the central government; what they want to see is bad roads being rehabilitated, their leaders monitoring government programs. This is a huge dilemma for us as local government leaders. Government has to review this practice so that general service delivery is improved to the communities that we serve ” Orach notes.

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GULU – After seven years, the Government of Uganda is still far from fully implementing the Tobacco Control Act.

The implementation of the Tobacco Control Act still hangs in balance, as local governments struggle to enforce sections of the law.

In 2015, Uganda enacted a law to control the demand, consumption, and supply of tobacco to the population.

The law aimed at protecting the environment from the effects of producing tobacco and exposure to tobacco smoke hence reducing related deaths.

Article [12] section [1and 2] of the law prohibits smoking in public places, or in any public transport and other outdoor places.

The offenders of a crime of such nature are liable to pay a fine of 20 currency points or a jail sentence of not less than 6 months by a competent court.

However, seven years later, production and exposure to tobacco smoke continuously unabetted in public hence a threat to humans and nature.

The Program Officer, Control Substance Use, and the Mental Health division of the Ministry of Health, Patience Butesi said, the government spends much more money on treating tobacco-related illness than the revenue collected from tobacco.

The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning reports that from every 0.03 dollars of revenue collected from tobacco, the government spends 3 dollars in treating tobacco-related illnesses that include respiratory and cancer diseases.

The Ministry of Health revealed that at least 1,780 cancer patients seek treatment at Mulago Cancer Institute annually while 12,184 patients turn to the National Heart Institute which cost the government Shs13.2 billion expenditure on treatment.

The annual tobacco-related deaths rate stands at 6 million people globally according to a World Health Organization 2020 report; 600,000 of whom are non-smokers who were exposed to chemical compounds.

In her argument, Butesi noted that a cigarette contains more than 700 cancerous causing chemical compounds and other poisonous gases affecting the lungs and internal organs while its global related death rate stands at 10 percent.

At the Uganda Cancer Institute, the statistics show that, for every 1000 Ugandans who turn to the facility, more than 350 of them battle the different types of cancer diseases with the survival rate only standing at 20 percent.

At Gulu Cancer Registry in St. Mary’s Hospital Lacor, more than 1,350 cancer patients in the four districts of Gulu, Amuru, Nwoya, and Omoro sought treatment in the facility between 2016 and 2020 but the majority could not afford expensive treatment.

Gulu district deputy Chief Administrative Officer [CAO] Sonyi Mugoya however noted that, much as the government is establishing regional cancer institutes, there is a need for the country to restrict the production and importation of tobacco.

“What we consume here are products being imported and that is where the challenge is for government,” Mugoya said.

William Onyai, the Gulu District Health Educator noted that prohibition of tobacco products in the region will likely come with adverse implications to the traditional tobacco farmers who derive their livelihoods from such production.

Onyai, urges the Ministry of Agriculture to engage the farmers as the country battles to reduce tobacco-related illnesses and deaths. He further advises farmers to take advantage of the parish development model.

Article 11 of the Tobacco Control Act provides for a free smoke environment, little is done on the enforcement and the products are still being sold in open places mainly along the streets in Gulu City and hangout places.

Moses Talibita, the Legal Officer, Uganda National Health Consumer Organization which is partnering with the Ministry of Health against tobacco production and consumption says, Gulu risks becoming a city with the highest number of smokers.

He explained that the implementation of the section of the law was slowed down when private companies promoting the product in the country took the government to court but they lost the case in 2018 in the constitutional court.

He however noted that government is in a nationwide campaign for enforcing the law adding that the local governments are currently undergoing training for implementation of the law which was flagged off from Gulu.

“We are targeting Gulu to save it from becoming a City with the highest number of smokers especially at the time we don’t have adequate health facilities to handle tobacco-related illness,” Talibita told theCooperator in an interview.

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics, the West Nile region still has the highest prevalence of smokers at 33.7 percent while most of the farmers only earn 33 percent of what they have invested in the farm due to its labor-intensive nature.

Meanwhile, in June 2007, Uganda ratified World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control two years after the United Nations embraced and adopted the convention.

The convention was developed in response to the tobacco epidemic as an evidence-based treaty that reaffirms the right of all people to the highest standard of health.

Whereas the Convention represents a milestone for the promotion of public health and provides new legal dimensions for international health cooperation, Uganda is still far from the implementation of its domesticated law.

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SOROTI – Soroti district Resident District Commissioner [RDC], Stephen Okumu, has cracked down on more than 1000 tons of opium.

The operation follows a community outcry by Oculoi sub county residents, Soroti district over the increasing number of children taking to opium.

According to Okumu, they mounted a search for the opium growers in Oculoi sub county after being tipped by the community.

The perpetrators whose livelihood has been solely dependent on opium had it grown on acres for years without a license from the government.

Okumu says, after securing a court order, they destroyed the opium and are in search for the perpetrators who are still at large.

“The search for the perpetrators are still ongoing and once arrested they will be an example to those engaging in this criminality.”

Okumu further adviced parents to watchout and safeguard their children from consumption of the drug, as it is dangerous to their health and many end up insane.

The perpetrators deceive unsuspecting residents that they are licensed by government and yet they are producing it illegally, says the RDC.

Meanwhile, Margret Aanyu, the Soroti district Chief Magistrate says, this act is not acceptable and those found should be dealt with according to the law.

She revealed that some samples have been kept at the police station to serve as exhibits when perpetrators are arrested.

“I gave a court order for their arrest but they managed to escape this will not end here. Wherever they are, they should know that they are answerable for their actions, “Aanyu said.

She encouraged those who have ears to heed the advice because they will be held culpable for these criminal actions.

“The punishment is very harsh so don’t even think of trying it,”Aanyu says.

Sarah Atiang, one of the victims whose son started smoking opium condemned the act as satanic.

Atiang told theCooperator that she only realized her son was smoking opium after he attempted to beat her up.

“My son dropped out of school and has been asking for money from me and I would give him hope that he would reform. But on this particular day, I failed to give him and he almost beat me up,” said Atiang.

James Otim, a farmer and father of five says, youths have found refuge in drugs instead of being productive and helping their parents.

He urges the government to come up with strict measures that can address this illegal business.

Otim adds that there are many businesses someone can venture into and wonders why this kind of business is against the law?

“Why would someone mentally upright venture in this kind of business, aware that its dangerous, Otim asked.

Opium is believed to be a highly addictive narcotic drug acquired in the dried latex form, the opium poppy.

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