Summary:
- Although Kabale City was approved by Parliament, it has yet to become operational due to the government’s failure to allocate funds for boundary demarcation and other necessary expenses.
RUBANDA: The State Minister of Finance, Henry Musasizi, has reiterated that the government has no funds to operationalize additional regional cities.
Musasizi, who also serves as the Member of Parliament for Rubanda East, made the statement on Saturday while addressing local government leaders at his residence in Bushure Village, Mpungu Parish, Hamurwa Sub county, Rubanda District.
His remarks were in response to demands from some residents of Kabale District, who have been pushing for the operationalization of Kabale City.
Although Kabale City was approved by Parliament, it has yet to become operational due to the government’s failure to allocate funds for boundary demarcation and other necessary expenses.
Kabale is one of four regional cities created by Parliament in 2020, alongside Moroto, Nakasongola, Wakiso, and Entebbe. However, the government has repeatedly delayed their operationalization, citing a lack of sufficient funds.
While recent media reports suggested that these cities would become operational in the next financial year, .Minister Musasizi’s statements cast doubt on that timeline.
He argued that the regional cities are not economically viable and merely drain government resources in administrative costs, without contributing significantly to the national economy.
“We have learned that some people are pushing for Kabale City to create more constituencies and serve their political interests. This is selfish. That money would be better spent on roads, industrialization, and other projects that benefit a broader population,” Minister Musasizi stated.
Minister Musasizi added “I want to see people pressuring us to construct new roads, rehabilitate existing ones, and demand factories and other developments that serve everyone, not cities that serve a few.”
Minister Musasizi also noted that the government is still struggling to fund administrative units created in the previous political term, such as town councils.
Adding more cities, he argued, would only exacerbate the financial strain.
He concluded by saying that Kabale and the other remaining cities will be operationalized in the future, but for now, the government’s priority is economic development through infrastructure and industrialization.
“Cities don’t bring development; development brings cities. Let’s first focus on developing Kabale by establishing factories and improving infrastructure, and the city will follow,” Minister Musasizi said.
