THE VILLAGE HAS SPOKEN: PS BEN KUMUMANYA’S OPEN LETTER TO A NEW ERA OF LC I AND LC II LEADERSHIP

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda reports that Uganda has completed its Local Council I (LC I) and Local Council II (LC II) grassroots elections, and that Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government Ben Kumumanya is urging the newly elected leaders to focus on delivery rather than simply celebrating victory. The piece says the message is directed at leaders closest to communities, framing the vote as a mandate that must now be translated into service, accountability, participation and local development.

According to the article, the LC I and LC II structures are central to Uganda’s decentralised governance system because they connect citizens to decision-making, service monitoring and local accountability. The report also links Kumumanya’s message to a wider push for stronger citizen oversight, noting recent public complaints in the Bugisu sub-region about corruption and demands for better governance. The publication presents this as an example of communities expecting more from local leaders.

The core point of the article is that the election itself is only the starting line. Watchdog Uganda says Kumumanya is challenging the new council leaders to use their authority to respond to residents’ concerns and make decentralisation visible in everyday life. The story matters because local councils often shape access to basic services and are a first point of contact between government and communities.