The Minister of Local Government, Raphael Magyezi, has clarified that Members of Parliament cannot be blamed for the failure or refusal to create new lower local government units in their constituencies.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Minister Magyezi explained that the mandate to establish new lower local governments lies solely with the Ministry of Local Government, not individual MPs.
The clarification follows remarks by Ndorwa East MP Wilfred Niwagaba, who said he was unfairly accused of blocking the creation of town councils in his constituency.
Niwagaba, seeking re-election as an independent candidate under the clock symbol, emphasized that Parliament does not have the authority to create town councils.
He explained that this responsibility lies with parish, sub-county, and district councils, which submit proposals to the Ministry of Local Government for approval.
“Parliament is mandated to create districts, cities, and constituencies,” Niwagaba said. He cited the example of 2020 when the council led by the late Patrick Besigye Keihwa created several town councils, including Rwene–Buhara, Kabanyonyi, Nyanja, Kahondo, and Kyobugombe. After submission to the Ministry, the proposals were declined due to financial constraints.
He urged those he described as “political opportunists” to wait for the Ministry’s approval rather than spreading what he called false propaganda.
Minister Magyezi explained that the process begins when a district or city council submits a formal request to the ministry.
“Once received, the Minister authorizes the necessary technical study and seeks Cabinet approval. If approved, the new local government units are gazetted, and notifications are sent to the district or city, the Electoral Commission, MOFPED, Parliament, and the public,” he said.
Minister Magyezi also noted that a current Cabinet ban on creating new local governments exists due to budgetary constraints.
He assured that once the ban is lifted, pending and new requests will be processed according to established procedures.
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