By KT Reporter
A recent assessment of Local Government Public Accounts Committees (LGPACs) in the Karamoja sub-region has revealed significant capacity gaps and inadequate funding that are hindering their effectiveness.
The study, conducted by the Alliance for Finance Monitoring in partnership with the Uganda National NGO Forum, covered the districts of Kotido, Moroto, Abim, Kaabong, and Napak. It highlighted challenges such as limited funding, political interference, lack of women’s representation, illiteracy among members, and weak capacity building as major obstacles to transparency and accountability.
According to the report, political interference from local politicians undermines the independence and objectivity of LGPACs, while inadequate funding limits their ability to hold regular meetings, conduct field visits, and access operational resources.
Felix Kafuuma, Program Manager at the Alliance for Finance Monitoring, said the study found that only Moroto and Napak districts had women represented on their committees. He added that Napak and Abim were the only districts consistently conducting field visits, while others such as Kotido, Moroto, and Kaabong rarely carried them out.
Kafuuma explained that members lacked induction and capacity building, with many secretaries to council having no formal training. Quarterly committee sittings were inconsistent, except in Napak and Abim, where meetings were fairly regular.
Ambrose Toolit, Executive Director of the Grassroots Alliance for Rural Development (GARD), said PACs in Karamoja are performing poorly compared to other regions. He noted that while committees have been formed, many are non-functional.
Toolit criticized the composition of the committees, saying appointments are made by the very institutions they are meant to oversee, which compromises independence. He also pointed to high levels of illiteracy among members.
“You cannot bring a kraal leader to be a member of the Public Accounts Committee because he doesn’t understand figures. All he knows is about his cows. You have seen in most of the districts even they cannot raise a female to members of PAC,” Toolit lamented.
He said members were not inducted, did not know their roles, and lacked funds to support their activities. He added that most Auditor General reports were figure-based without clear assessments of value for money.
As an example, Toolit cited a valley tank in Karenga District reported as complete while it remained unfinished, noting that the committee had not verified it due to lack of transport.
Rose Lina Aleper, an LGPAC member from Kotido District, said the report reflected some of their challenges but left other issues unaddressed. She noted that implementation of committee recommendations remains weak, as reports submitted to the Ministry of Local Government rarely receive attention.
Aleper added that committees often focus only on Auditor General reports without assessing resources used on the projects. She emphasized the need for field verification to complement report reviews.
LGPACs play a vital role in promoting transparency, deterring corruption, and improving financial management in local governments. However, the study noted that in many districts, their performance remains below average.
While the committees are legally established under the Local Government Act, Cap 138, the study found structural gaps in 28 percent of the districts surveyed, with positions not fully constituted. Additionally, 17 percent of committees lacked formal approval from the Ministry of Local Government, raising legitimacy concerns.
Only 50 percent of secretaries had ever received formal training, most of it more than two years ago. Many committee members also lacked induction and continuous professional development, reducing their effectiveness in financial oversight.
The report recommended a set of interventions, including strengthening the legal and institutional frameworks to clarify mandates, streamline reporting, and enforce compliance with committee recommendations.
Kafuuma stressed the need to increase financial and logistical support to enable committees to conduct meetings and field verification visits. He also called for institutionalized capacity building to equip members and secretaries with technical skills in financial analysis and audit interpretation.
He further emphasized the importance of inter-agency collaboration among LGPACs, the Office of the Auditor General, the Ministry of Local Government, Parliament, and Civil Society Organizations to strengthen accountability efforts.
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