The political and technical leadership of Masaka City has been challenged to account for gaps in service delivery and turn around the city’s performance instead of hiding behind reports and bureaucratic excuses.
Minister of State for Local Government Justine Nameere Nsubuga issued the challenge yesterday during a self-assessment meeting with Masaka City leaders at the city headquarters, where officials reviewed performance across key departments.
Ms Nameere said government workers must abandon the attitude that public employment guarantees a secure career regardless of performance.
“The attitude of public servants thinking that they are permanent and pensionable needs to change. Things are different now,” she said.
She warned that public servants must be accountable for results and ensure government resources translate into services that residents can see and benefit from.
The meeting exposed staffing gaps in critical departments, with Acting Town Clerk Ssebaduka Uthman citing shortages in Physical Planning and Production as some of the constraints affecting the city’s ability to deliver on its mandate.
The assessment also scrutinised health services, environmental management, garbage collection and road maintenance.
Ms Nameere directed city authorities to tighten garbage management and keep Masaka clean, while demanding accountability in the use of the Road Fund.
She said money allocated for road maintenance must result in visible improvements rather than disappear into activities that residents cannot account for.
The minister also turned her attention to the Parish Development Model, directing the Production Officer to address implementation bottlenecks and strengthen follow-up to ensure intended beneficiaries receive the programme’s benefits.
She warned against treating self-assessment as a paperwork exercise.
Ms Nameere said shortcomings identified during the exercise must be followed by concrete action, rather than simply being recorded in reports.
She urged the political and technical leadership to work together and take responsibility for the city’s performance, saying Masaka should demonstrate how accountable local leadership can turn government programmes and public resources into tangible services.
Her challenge comes as Masaka City leadership faces the task of improving basic services while addressing staffing and implementation gaps across several departments.
Ms Nameere said her target was to see Masaka become a model of effective local governance and service delivery.
