PARLIAMENT .The government has procured new Toyota double-cabin pickup trucks for all district chairpersons, city mayors and municipal mayors.
The move, according to the Government is expected to strengthen their mobility and ease service delivery.
The first batch of 90 vehicles is expected in the country by the end of September 2025, while the final consignment will arrive in November. The shillings 35.2 billion procurement was funded under the supplementary budget passed by Parliament in April this year.
Local government minister Raphael Magyezi told Parliament on Tuesday, September 9, 2025, that transport facilitation is critical for top local government leaders to effectively execute their leadership responsibilities.
He explained that under Schedule 3 of the Local Government Act, transport provision for district chairpersons, city and municipal mayors is mandatory, although for Speakers, the benefit is monetised.
The statement was delivered in response to a petition by the Uganda Local Governments Association (ULGA) and the Urban Authorities Association of Uganda (UAAU), presented to Speaker Anita Among on April 24, 2025.
The petition highlighted ten challenges affecting service delivery in local governments. On September 3, the Speaker referred the matter to the local government minister for urgent handling and reporting back to the House.
Government has been providing 300 million annually to ULGA and UAAU, and plans to double this to 600 million next year. The minister also urged associations to mobilise members to pay subscriptions for sustainability.Speaker of Parliament Anita Among welcomed the minister’s response ,but cautioned that challenges in local governments should not be sugar-coated.
“The existence of various programs does not mean all problems are solved,” she said.
Magyezi reassured local leaders that President Museveni, who is patron of ULGA, will meet district chairpersons and mayors soon to discuss service delivery challenges. He emphasized that despite difficulties, annual assessments show steady improvements in local government performance, supported by programs such as UPE, USMID, PDM, Emyooga, and SAGE.