The Deputy Chief Administrative Officer of Kabale District, Robert Mugabe, has attributed the growing challenge of poor service delivery in the district to persistent shortages of resources.
Mugabe made the remarks on Tuesday during a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop at Heras Country Resort in Kabale Municipality.
The training, organized by the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority (PPDA) and the Office of the Auditor General in partnership with Kick Corruption Out of Uganda (KICK-U), is aimed at equipping participants with skills to use the Contract Monitoring System (CMS) and the Citizens Feedback Platform (CPF).
These digital tools will be used to monitor public contracts and enhance transparency. The trained monitors will, in turn, train others.
The two applications fall under the Strengthening Governance and Accountability between Duty Bearers and Rights Holders for Improved Service Delivery in the Kigezi Sub-region (SGADRIS) project, supported by GIZ and the European Union.
Running for two years, the project will be implemented in 40 sub-counties across Kisoro, Rubanda, Kanungu, Rukiga, Rukungiri, Kabale, and Ntungamo districts.
The initiative seeks to tackle limited citizen engagement, poor monitoring of public contracts, and lack of transparency, key issues undermining service delivery.
Mugabe explained that while government allocates funds to districts quarterly, disbursement delays often push projects into the next financial year.
This, he noted, leads to unfair blame on district leadership for failures beyond their control.
He urged the public to take a more active role in monitoring government-funded projects to strengthen accountability and service delivery.
European Union representative in Uganda, Ann Charlotte, stressed that the project is designed to reinforce the social contract between the state and its citizens for more effective service delivery.
Meanwhile, Hon. Rona Rita Ninsiima, Chairperson of the Board of Governors at KICK-U, expressed concern over the shrinking donor landscape that is limiting funding opportunities for civil society organizations.
She also warned against growing public apathy toward corruption, saying it fuels the misuse of public funds and hampers compliance with government regulations.
KICK-U Executive Director, Robert Byamugisha Kakuru, criticized delays in procurement processes, arguing that they encourage corruption through bribery and extortion.
He further cited political and religious interference in project allocation and contractor selection, as well as low levels of citizen participation in governance, as major obstacles to accountability.
The Source Reports.
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