Some residents in Masaka District are of the view that the absence of academic requirements presents challenges, especially when councillors are expected to debate complex issues, interpret council procedures and scrutinise government programmes.
After a spat online following the failure by many councillors to take oath in English, there has been a call and a series of social media trolls by sections of the public to have qualifications attached to all lower elective positions. In Lale Sub-county, Soroti District, some elected councillors, who could not take oath in English, excused themselves and took the oath, in the local Kumam language. The same was seen in Arapai Sub-county, where a section of the parish councillors turned to Ateso to take their oath.
Mr Samson Okwerede, a teacher in Kidongole Sub-county, Bukedea District, said as much as the elites are making jokes of the calibre of the councillors taking elective positions as representatives at parish and sub-county level, the elites themselves are part of the problem. ‘When the Electoral Commission makes calls for the people to express interest in lower elective positions, even at the MP level, the elites who assume to be educated don’t show up. Rather, it is the uneducated who express confidence,’ he explained.
Mr Okwerede said every parish has over 100 graduates who are unemployed, adding that if such people take interest into elective positions at the lower level, there would be vibrant lower council debates, and checks and balances would be top notch. ‘It costs nothing for a graduate in either education or social work to compete as a parish council as they hunt for a job. If a job comes your way, you resign. Why should you continue having people elected as councillors but can’t scrutinise government documents?’ he wondered.
In the central region, some residents in Masaka District are of the view that the absence of academic requirements presents challenges, especially when councillors are expected to debate complex issues, interpret council procedures and scrutinise government programmes. Mr Francis Ssendyowa, a resident of Mpigi District and former councillor who represented Muduuma Sub-county, said there is a need to review the existing laws and introduce minimum academic standards for councillors.
“I think councillors should possess at least a Uganda Advanced Certificate of Education (UACE). Council sessions are conducted in English, and councillors are expected to understand documents, budgets and rules of procedure. A minimum qualification would help them discharge their duties more effectively,” Mr Ssendyowa said.
His remarks come amid discussions in some local government circles about whether councillors should be allowed to debate in local languages to accommodate members who are not proficient in English. Mr Ssendyowa however questions the practicability of local languages in council operations. “If debates are conducted in local languages, do councils have the capacity to interpret proceedings accurately for all members? The focus should not be on mocking councillors with limited education but on ensuring they can effectively represent the people and understand the matters before them,” he said.
Mr Richard Kiberu, a resident of Maggya Cell, Bongole Ward in Buwama Town Council, said educational qualifications can improve the quality of deliberations but should not ‘automatically disqualify leaders who enjoy public confidence,’ “Leadership is not determined by certificates alone. Some councillors may have limited formal education but understand the challenges affecting their communities and represent residents well,” he said. Ms Sarah Naava, a resident of Mpigi Town Council, said the issue should be approached carefully to avoid excluding capable leaders from rural areas.
“The electorate should continue to have the final say. However, councillors should be provided with regular training on council procedures, budgeting and legislation so they perform their responsibilities effectively,” she said. Mr Hamid Nawandagala, a resident of Nabyewanga Village in Nkozi Sub-county, added that council business has become increasingly technical and requires leaders who can understand official documents and government policies. “Councillors are expected to debate budgets, development plans and accountability reports. While academic qualifications may help, continuous capacity-building is equally important,” he said.
Get educated leaders
Mr Ramathan Ssegawa, a councillor for Namulanda Upper, in Kajjansi Town Council, Wakiso District said there should be a minimum qualification in place for people contesting for the councillor positions, to ensure that they can interpret rules of procedures. ‘I don’t support having illiterate leaders in council. This is a modern era where the people we are representing are learned. A person who can’t even read their swearing-in oath, doesn’t deserve to sit in council’ he said. He added, ‘Even in council, all the documents and debates are in English, we don’t have interpreters in council. How will they contribute to a discussion they haven’t understood?’
Mr Ssegawa argued that having councillors with minimal education standards makes their oversight role difficult on people in higher public offices like town clerks, who he said are at times master’s degree holders. Mr John Mugabi, the director of Action for Liberty and Economic Development (ALED) and political analyst in Entebbe Municipality, called for a change in policy shift, to allow councillors use a language they prefer and is easily understood by them. ‘If I was to propose, the first council would start with voting the preferred language to be used by the councillors. Countries such as Morocco use their local language which is Arabic, but put translators so that people are not only easily understood, but also serve diligently without losing their self-esteem’ he said.
Mr Mugabi said this would enable the councillors to put other public servants to accountability in the local government. ‘Campaigns are done in the local language, but then comes an unfortunate scenario when after winning using the local dialect, they go to council where everything is being done in the official language’ he said. He added, ‘If they [government] say it’s going to be English, let them set a standard, where one must have a certain qualification. It’s a disservice to the councillors who interact with people and understand their needs to be challenged by a language which inconveniences their deliberations on behalf of their constituents’.
However, Mr Benson Ekwee, the executive director of Public Affairs Centre Uganda (PAC) is of a different view, adding that the measure of leadership isn’t an equation that should be tied on qualifications. ‘We previously had a councillor from Asuret Sub-county, Soroti District who was not much learnt, but was a step ahead in articulating matters than the educated,’ he said. Mr Ekwee said the problem at hand is not having the less educated in the councils but the corrupt and deceptive system we are operating in. ‘For instance, we have a parliament with professors but what is happening there is disheartening,’
Vouching for local languages
In Arua District, Mr Bosco Odama, former Logiri Sub-county councillor and former LC3 chairman said most of the council sessions were conducted in Lugbara because not all the councillors understand English. “The technical officers have to break down complicated terms in the simplest language for them to understand,’ he said. Mr Odama added that even in council sessions where debates are conducted in Lugbarati, the secretary takes minutes in English. But Ms Loyce Bileru, a resident of Arua City, said: ‘There was a need for the level of academic qualifications needed for the councillors because they are the ones who implement most government programmes. So, it would be good if one can understand what is in the documents.’
She however added that deliberating in local language would not be a problem because some are more eloquent and articulate with confidence in local language. According to the Local Council Act, there are no formal academic qualifications required for division and district councillors. The only requirement is that one must be a citizen of Uganda with a valid National ID. Mr Eugene Mwale, councillor representing the people of Nkonko Ward in Wakisi Division, Njeru Municipality, Buikwe District, explained that swearing-in ceremonies are conducted in English before a magistrate, as guided by the clerk to the council. However, during council sessions, proceedings are often conducted in local languages.
Mwale emphasised that councillors are the ‘eyes of the local people’ in villages, many of whom did not attend school, and the law allows them to express their views in their native language. ‘It is the responsibility of the clerk to the council to interpret and record the proceedings into official working documents. It is not mandatory for us to present our views in English as local councils,’ Mwale said. Mr Michael Mbulalina, councillor representing Malindi Ward in Wakisi Division, echoed this view. He noted that the law permits the use of local languages, especially since many councillors struggle to express themselves in English.
In most cases, clerks interpret the constitution and rules of procedure into the local language during sessions, ensuring inclusivity and understanding prevails.