The Ugandan government has approved the establishment of nine additional town councils nationwide, aiming to enhance local administration and facilitate preparations for the 2026 general elections.
These town councils—set to become operational on July 1, 2025—are located in districts that lost their original headquarters when new regional cities were created in 2020. According to a July 1 letter from Local Government Minister Raphael Magyezi to Electoral Commission Chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama, the move is intended to ease electoral logistics and improve service delivery by upgrading affected sub-counties into urban administrative units.
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The newly formed town councils include: Awach (Gulu), Kagoma (Jinja), Mbale (Mbale), Busoro (Kabale), Kyanamukkaka (Masaka), Kitoba (Hoima), Ogur (Lira), Katine (Soroti), and Vurra (Arua). Each council comprises several wards from existing sub-counties.
In the past, similar initiatives have faced funding and infrastructure delays, with many administrative units struggling to operate due to limited resources. However, Magyezi emphasized that the current plan upgrades existing structures rather than establishing completely new ones, minimizing operational strain.
To support the transition, government has allocated Shs1 billion per district to aid in constructing new headquarters, although some districts had already begun building before the funds were released. In cases where additional funding is needed, Magyezi stated the Ministry of Finance will be approached.
Local reactions have been mixed. While many, such as Masaka’s youth councillor Robert Tumwesigye, hailed the elevation of Kyanamukkaka as a milestone—especially with plans to upgrade its health center—others like Kyanamukkaka Sub-county chairperson Cyrus Kalema voiced concerns about revenue generation and service delivery sustainability.
Uganda has for decades used the creation of new administrative units as a tool for decentralization and governance improvement. Nonetheless, the challenge of underfunding and inadequate staffing continues to hamper many of these efforts.
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