Nakifuma County in Mukono pushes for District status.

Mukono. Political leaders in Nakifuma County are lobbying to be curved off their mother district of Mukono to form their own in the next financial year.

Nakifuma currently covers five sub-counties of Nagojje, Ntunda, Kimenyedde, Kasawo Rural, Seeta-Namuganga and three town councils of Nakifuma-Naggalama, Kasawo TC and Namataba. 

According to the Uganda Bureau of Statistics-UBOS, the county has a population of about 229, 800 people.

The leaders have formed a steering committee to work on the legal process and also present a proposal to Mukono District Council. 

Hajji Ali Kalungi, the Secretary for the steering committee says that the elevation of the county to district status will improve service delivery and attract more jobs. 

“Among all counties within the district, it is Nakifuma with the poorest road network requiring travellers to spend hours crossing the potholed road from one Sub County to another. The same roads diversely contribute to a poor education system since it is less monitored and inspected by authorities fearing to navigate dusty and slippery roads during the rainy season.” Hajji Kalungi says.  

Samari Musenero, the councillor representing Kasawo Sub County at the district says Nakifuma can also only attain new energy to improve its poor public health sector and also address the challenge of access to clean water through its district administrative structures. The county has four government health center-HCII and two HCIII.

Asuman Muhumuza, a resident says that the elevation will spur development and attract more elective posts.

The Minister for Local Government Raphael Magezi has advised the steering committee to follow the required legal procedure and administrative process.

The 1995 Constitution, Article 179, allows district councils to alter the boundaries of lower local government units to create new local government units within their districts but also gives parliament powers to make the final approval of any district.

The constitution also guides that any measure for the alteration of the boundaries of or the creation of districts or administrative units shall be based on the necessity for effective administration and the need to bring services closer to the people, and it may take into account the means of communication, geographical features, the density of population, economic viability and the wishes of the people concerned.

Once Nakifuma County is accorded district status, it will mainly thrive on farming as the major economic activity. Some of the major crops grown in the area include coffee, banana, pineapples, and sugarcane and watermelons.

Nakifuma also plans to generate local revenue through its tourism sites that include River Ssezibwa cultural sites, Dindo rocks and Mabira forest which covers part of Nagojja Sub County.