BABIRYE M. BABALANDA: Time for LCs to turn election victory into wealth-creation victory

What the report says

Ugandan Minister for the Presidency Babirye Milly Babalanda used a Watchdog Uganda opinion piece to frame the August 10, 2026 Local Council II elections as a chance to deepen grassroots service delivery and economic transformation. She said the vote completed an important step in rebuilding local leadership structures and praised the National Resistance Movement for what she described as a strong result.

Babalanda argued that LC2 chairpersons sit at the front line of government and are crucial to identifying beneficiaries, monitoring programs and linking communities with national initiatives. She said their role goes beyond dispute resolution and mobilization, and should include supporting wealth-creation efforts such as the Parish Development Model, Emyooga and GROW. In her view, local leaders should follow up after funds are delivered to households to help ensure the money is used productively.

The article also tied local governance to Uganda’s jobs challenge. Babalanda said the public sector cannot absorb all job seekers and encouraged young people, including graduates, to think more like entrepreneurs and job creators. She highlighted vocational and technical training, industrial hubs and formalization efforts as ways to help small businesses grow into more sustainable enterprises.

Babalanda said she would continue monitoring tours of government programs, starting in Buyende District, to check implementation and accountability. The broader message of the piece was that elections should now give way to practical work on production, employment and household incomes, especially through local leadership structures.