West Nile Development Association proposes structured financing mechanism to support local governments

What the report says

West Nile Development Association (WENDA) is urging local governments in Uganda to back a new financing model that would allow districts and urban councils to pool resources in a shared development trust. According to the Nile Post report, WENDA Executive Director Moses Akuma Odims is promoting the Local and Urban Authorities Development Trust as a way to reduce reliance on central government transfers and donor funding, which local leaders say are often delayed, limited or tied to strict conditions.

The proposal is being advanced alongside the Uganda Local Governments Association (ULGA) and the Uganda Association of Urban Authorities (UAAU). Odims argues that many councils remain too dependent on funds from Kampala and have weak local revenue bases, making it difficult to plan and deliver projects consistently. He says the trust would help local authorities finance their own development more predictably and support broader local economic growth.

Under the plan, member districts and municipalities would contribute to a pooled fund that could also attract support from development partners, private investors and central government. The resources would be used for revenue-generating projects such as markets, housing and transport-related investments, with returns flowing back to councils for services like roads, health centres, schools and sanitation.

The article says the proposal is expected to come before council sessions across West Nile, with some districts already preparing to discuss it. More broadly, the idea reflects a wider debate in Uganda about decentralisation, local revenue generation and how subnational governments can secure more stable financing for service delivery.