Who Is to Blame for Broken Roads and Poor Services? What Uganda’s Local Governments Act Says

What the report says

Watchdog Uganda published an explainer by Brian Mugenyi arguing that poor roads and weak public services in Uganda should not be blamed on “the government” in a general sense, but on specific institutions and officials under the country’s decentralised system. The article points to examples such as a road in Ntungamo washing away, wastewater issues in Makindye-Ssabagabo, and shortages at a health facility in Entebbe to show how service failures affect communities across different localities.

The piece focuses on Sections 107 and 108 of the Local Governments Act (Cap. 138). According to the report, Section 107 assigns line ministries the role of setting minimum service standards, coordinating oversight and giving technical support to local governments, while Section 108 provides for inspections, audits and review of records at local government offices. The article says these powers are meant to help detect unfinished projects, misuse of funds or missing supplies, and to support legal or administrative action when rules are broken.

Mugenyi also cites an induction exercise for local council leaders at Makindye-Ssabagabo Municipality headquarters on October 13, 2026, where leaders from villages, parishes and divisions raised concerns about sanitation, stray animals, firewood smoke and road safety. The report uses that example to underline a broader point: decentralisation is supposed to make public services more accountable, and citizens can use the law to identify who is responsible when projects fail. More generally, Uganda’s Constitution and local government framework place public participation and devolved power at the center of service delivery.