Recently appointed Resident District/City Commissioners (RDCs/RCCs) have been sternly warned against employing their friends and relatives as drivers for government vehicles.
The call was made by the Secretary in the office of the President, Hajj Yunus Kakande, during the giving out of 58 brand new double cabin office vehicles to RDCs/RCCs at Kololo Airstrip on Friday.
Hajj Kakande advised them to handle the vehicles with care since they will help them to ease their movements while executing their duties.
“I would like to urge RDCs and RCCs to exercise care and caution while handling government assets including motor vehicles. Please note, that these vehicles must be driven by government drivers not your relatives. This is very common to all government officers, normally to give government vehicles, to their sons, relatives, companions to help them,” said secretary Kakande.
“Experience has shown that those ones don’t use the vehicles well. So please, I urgue you to use the drivers you have found on station. There are some drivers who are found on those stations who were recruited earlier, please use those ones to drive these vehicles,” he added.
The Minister for Presidency Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, who was the chief guest and personally handed over the vehicles to the RDCs and RCCs, warned the beneficiaries against mishandling, saying they would be held accountable for such actions.
She informed them that the vehicles were bought with tax payers money, and that their misuse would lead to serious consequences for them.
“By and large though, we have a concern of RDC’s, RCC’s who are not in the habit of properly looking after and preserving government assets including office vehicles. You should remember that these are government vehicles were bought with tax payer’s money. You will be called to account for their use, their mantainence and their custody. You need to ensure that these vehicles are used according to the plan, and in order to prolong their life spans,” remarked Mrs. Babalanda.
The Minister also noted that the vehicles will help the officials to work on security, monitor government projects, moblise masses and most especially, promote what she termed “our new baby”, the parish development Model.
She implored the RCCs and RDCs to use the vehicles to fight corruption and land grabbing, monitor, or supervise government programmes and non government programmes, noting that their salaries would be increased to avoid being complicit in these vices.
Several RDCs and RCCs this website talked to, could not hide their ecstacy and gratitude, informed by the sight of brand spanking new Isuzu double cabins parked in rows at Kololo airstrip, for which every official was to go home with at least one.
RDC for Mitooma district, Frank Kibuuka Amooti expressed gratitude to the presidency, for the vehicle, citing that the four-wheel drive Isuzu will manage the hilly terrain of Mitooma district.
“The vehicle I have been using couldn’t manage the terrain, so this one will do the job effectively,” said Amooti.
Hajj Nsereko Mutumba, the newly appointed Kayunga district RDC said, “This vehicle that has been given to me belongs to government, and is for doing government work, don’t expect me to use this to do my own private activities, but government work like mobilization to reach every corner in my area of jurisdiction.”
Lukanga Amina, who replaced Huud Hussein as the new RCC for Kampala supplied a ray of hope to city vendors who were banned from operating on main city streets, saying government knows their plight and is therefore designing more places for them to operate.
“I intend to work with deputies, ministers, executive director, so we will work together as a team, together with the common man. Kampala has to be light, meaning not congested, but not empty, a city to be proud of like other modern cities. So vendors will have to go and work from other gazetted places, we will gazette more places for you but as a matter of fact, we need a clean and decongested city,” said Ms. Amina
Paul Eseru, the recently promoted RDC for Pakwach district noted that enhanced service delivery will be his top most priority, after assuming office with a duty vehicle.
“As a representative of Pakwach, there are very key issues, which I need to handle. First and foremost is the issue of service delivery in Packwach, I realise there is a lot of laxity and my going there is going to cause a lot of positive impact as far the standards of quality of services to the people of Packwach. There willl be massive monitoring and supervision of government programmes which are taking place in that area and I will ensure that value for money is at its best,” said Eseru.
Currently, Uganda has 146 RDCs/RCCs and 163 deputies who, according to the grand plan are all supposed to be given duty vehicles.
However due to budget constraints, not all were allocated vehicles at ago. This will be fulfilled in the next financial year.
In November and December this year, more 40 vehicles will be procured and handed to those who missed out getting one, during today’s occasion.
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