The National Peasants Party presidential candidate, Mr Robert Kasibante, has said he will abolish the office of Resident District Commissioner (RDC) and Resident City Commissioners (RCC) if elected.
Speaking to traders and residents at Jinja Central Market in Jinja City yesterday, Mr Kasibante said these positions are unnecessary and drain public resources that could instead benefit ordinary citizens. ‘The first thing I will do when I take office is to make RDCs and RCCs jobless,’ Mr Kasibante declared, drawing cheers from the crowd.
‘The money used to pay their salaries will be redirected to the youth and elderly through direct cash transfers of Shs200,000 to their phones.’ He argued that the current structure of government is bloated, costly, and inefficient, with several leaders benefiting from taxpayers’ money without delivering meaningful services.
‘We have too many Members of Parliament and ministers who enjoy public funds while the people lack quality infrastructure, healthcare, and education,’ he said.
Mr Kasibante proposed a leaner government system where each district would be represented by only one Member of Parliament, rather than the current arrangement that allocates MPs per county. He said this reform would reduce public expenditure and ensure better accountability. The presidential hopeful also criticised the widespread corruption in government institutions, promising to implement strict anti-graft measures.
Soldiers on lake
Addressing the issue of security, Mr Kasibante said under his leadership, the army would be confined to the barracks, focusing on their core duty of protecting the country and citizens’ property. Mr Kasibante criticised the current practice of deploying soldiers to enforce fishing restrictions on lakes, saying it undermines the livelihoods of poor fishermen.
‘The army should not stop fishermen from working. Fishing is their source of income, and my government will protect such economic activities,’ he said. Mr Kasibante also condemned what he called police harassment of Opposition politicians. Mr Kasibante concluded by urging Ugandans to vote for leaders committed to service delivery, transparency, and fairness. He said his government would focus on empowering citizens, not enriching politicians.