By: Boy Fidel Leon
Local Government Minister Raphael Magyezi has drawn a hard line: government vehicles are for delivering services, not winning elections.
Speaking at a quarterly meeting with Chief Administrative Officers and municipal and town clerks in Kampala, Magyezi issued a pre-emptive warning as Uganda heads deeper into campaign season.
The government has approved Shs35.2 billion to buy vehicles for district chairpersons, municipal mayors, and city mayors, vehicles expected to arrive before November. But they come with strings attached.
“I’m aware this is a campaign period. These are not vehicles for campaigns, these are vehicles for service delivery. So, we must only give them out with very clear guidelines on how they are to be utilised,” Magyezi said.
The timing is no accident. With the 2026 general elections approaching, the temptation to blur the line between official business and political mobilisation grows stronger. New vehicles landing in districts just months before polls could easily become campaign tools if guidelines aren’t enforced. Magyezi knows it, which is why he said it out loud.
He also appealed to CAOs and town clerks to uphold trust and efficiency as custodians of government resources, funds, land, human resources, buildings, assets, vehicles.
The message was simple. These aren’t yours to do with as you please. Guard them properly, and maintain stable personnel relations while you’re at it.
Permanent Secretary Ben Kumumanya took the meeting further, tasking CAOs and town clerks to strengthen revenue collection and improve service delivery. His frustration was evident. Most districts continue to underperform in local revenue mobilisation despite having potential, he said. The money is there; they’re just not collecting it.
Kumumanya announced a new directive: deputies who’ve been sitting idle will now handle revenue mobilisation, addressing what he called a persistent problem. He pointed to 19 districts that managed to collect over Shs1 billion in the 2024/25 financial year as proof it can be done. Now he wants monthly reports on service delivery from every CAO, due by the 15th of each month.
The Auditor General’s value for money report backs up Kumumanya’s concerns. Many municipalities struggle to meet locally generated revenue targets and rely heavily on central government funding. The report highlights challenges across the board: enumeration, assessment, sensitisation, enforcement, collection. The system isn’t working as it should.
Kumumanya outlined measures to turn things around with regular supervision, community engagement, accountability reports. Whether these measures produce results or simply add paperwork remains to be seen.
Jinja District CAO Lilian Nakamatte pledged to intensify local revenue collection efforts, acknowledging the challenge. Much of Jinja District’s revenue base was absorbed when Jinja City was created, she noted, but the district would look for new revenue sources to keep operations running smoothly.
The warning about campaign misuse of government vehicles speaks to a larger pattern. Election seasons in Uganda have historically seen government resources such as vehicles, buildings, personnel deployed for political advantage.
Ministers and local officials know this. The question is whether clear guidelines and stern warnings change behaviour, or whether enforcement will prove as weak as it has in previous cycles.
For now, the vehicles haven’t arrived yet. When they do, someone will be watching to see whether they’re spotted at health centres and community meetings, or at political rallies painted in party colours. The minister has said his piece. Whether anyone listens is another matter entirely.