Uganda’s administrative costs are set to increase further with the creation of Terego district out of Arua. This comes barely a week Parliament passed the creation of 15 new cities even when there’s no money to operationalize them.
Parliament yesterday voted in favour of a motion by the Ministry of Local Government to alter the boundaries of Arua district to form Terego district. This brings the total number of districts to 128.
With a majority of 236 votes out of 243 of MPs present, Terego district will comprise of two constituencies, Terego County East and Terego County West with its Headquarters at Leju Trading Centre in Ayivu Sub-County.
The motion to create Terego district was tabled before Parliament by the Minister of Local Government Raphael Magyezi (pictured) and out of the 243 MPs attending the plenary sitting yesterday, five MPs abstained from the vote, while two MPs rejected the motion, leaving the majority of 236 MPs vote dictate results of the day.
Minister Magyezi thanked MPs for supporting the motion and people of Terego to get a district.
The new district is set to take effect on the 1st of July 2020, although, no budget provision was set aside for the operationalization of new districts, cities and Municipalities in the 2020/21 national budget that was passed by Parliament in April 2020.
The development comes at the time a section of MPs from the municipalities, where new cities were created, cautioned government against using the new cities as political tools to win support in these areas but giving them the required funds to spar development.
Last week, Parliament approved a number of proposals from Government to elevate a number of Municipalities to city status, with Arua, Gulu, Jinja, Mbarara, Fort Portal, Mbale and Masaka cities set to take effect on 1st July 2020.
The other cities; Hoima, Soroti and Lira Cities shall take effect on 1st July 2021, while Entebbe City is scheduled to take effect on 1st July 2022 and Moroto, Nakasongola, Kabale and Wakiso Cities shall take effect on 1st July 2023.
