Proposals to create more counties in Kyegegwa split residents

Kyegegwa, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT |  Proposals to create more counties in Kyegegwa District have split residents, with the majority opposing the idea. Kyegegwa District is currently comprises Kyaka North and Kyaka South counties. However, a group of elders in the district have proposed the creation of two more two counties including Kyaka Mid-North and Kyaka Mid-south to make four counties.     

The elders group, which is led by the Kyegegwa District Service Commission Chairperson, Keith Kalisa has already produced a map of the proposed counties, a copy of which URN has seen. According to the map, Kyaka North will be comprised of Sub Kigambo, Hapuyo, Nkaakwa, Kasule Sub counties and Hapuyo Town Council.      

Kyaka Mid-North will be comprised of Migongwe, Kakabara, Kyatega sub counties and Town Councils of Kakabara and Kyegegwa. For Kyaka Mid-South, they say it should be made up of Kyegegwa, Mpar sub counties,and Mpara Town Council    

The elders add that Kyaka South should include Sub Counties of Ruyonza, Nkanja, Rwentuha, Migamba and Kazinga Town Council.   The area Members of Parliament – MPs, Jackson Kafuuka of Kyaka South and Paul Asaba of Kyaka North are also pushing for the creation Kyaka Central.   They say that this extra county should be made up of Sub Counties of Nkenja, Kyegegwa, Migangwe, Kyategwa and Town Councils of Kyegegwa and Kakabara.

According to Kalisa, once the two more counties are approved, they will increase the lobbying powers of Kyegegwa District MPs in Parliament. He says that their group, which is made up of over 100 elders, also expects the new constituencies to have the mandatory Health Centre IVs that will directly improve on the service delivery in the the health sector.

The MPs have already written to the district chairperson, John Kisoke Byamukama, explaining the importance of the new county.

“Considering our population and the number of Sub Counties and Town Councils both new and old, it’s imperative and incumbent upon us to seek to improve service delivery by increasing the number of MPs from Two Constituency Members of Parliament in addition to the woman Member of Parliament making the number four for the start,” reads a joint letter by the MPs that our reporter has seen.

Although Kyegegwa District Council is yet to look at the two contradictory proposals, residents are already up in arms. John Kakooza, a resident of Kakabara Sub County argues that constituencies only benefit the MPs and their families because they don’t have budgets.

He says that elders and the legislators should have pushed for the creation of more town councils and Sub Counties because they have budgets for service delivery.

Brain Akugizibwe, a resident of Kyegegwa Town Council, argues that the MPs and the elders are pushing own political interests in their proposed counties and doesn’t see how the electorates are going to benefit. He says the country is already financially constrained and preoccupied with other things that are more important than new administrative units.

Willington Grant Ssenkoza, the Kyegegwa Youth Chairperson, says that the he can side with the MPs who need one more county and not the elders who need two.

Kyegegwa District council has now asked the architects of the two proposals to consult the masses and report back to council that will sit in August.

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URN