The state minister for public service, Mary Grace Mugasa, on Friday flagged off the distribution of bicycles to the leaders in Hoima city to facilitate them in their work.
A total of 146 bicycles were distributed to LCI chairpersons and 16 to the ward councilors at a function held at Hoima City offices.
The 16 wards whose councilors received the bicycles include Kibingo, Kiduma, Kamsingo, Kihuukya, Central, Western, Northern, southern.
Others are Kihomboza, Bujumbura, Karongo, Kyesiiga, Bwiikya, Kicwamba, Kyentale and Nyakambugu.
To avoid impersonators, each chairperson had to first present the village stamp before receiving the bicycles.
Mugasa urged the beneficiaries to use the bicycles in monitoring and mobilising residents towards government programmes including the Parish Development Model (PDM).
She said the distribution would cover the entire Hoima city and later will be rolled out to the district. She asked the beneficiaries to use the bicycles for the intended purpose.
“Use these bicycles to fight thieves in local government who love creating ghost beneficiaries in government programmes,” Mugasa said.
‘We trust you because you can move house- to- house and that is why the government has decided to provide you with bicycles in order to quicken your movements,” she added.
Mugasa who said the bicycles were in fulfillment of the Presidential pledge, encouraged the recipients to work tirelessly, revealing that the government is planning to provide them with motorcycles in the near future.
The Hoima Residence City Commissioner, Badru Mugabi, informed the chairpersons that they have a duty of fighting corruption in their areas if the vice is to be wiped out in the country.
Mugabi said that the LCI leaders know their residents very well and they are in a better position to tell whether the groups requesting for the money under government programmes indeed exist in their areas.
However, Mugabi advised chairpersons that have motorcycles to handover the donated bicycles to their vice chairpersons or the Village Health Team (V H T) members to ease work.
The Hoima City Mayor, Brian Kaboyo, encouraged the local council leaders to fight hard so that they can help their people join the money economy.
“When the household income increases, also the country’s economy increases and new jobs are created,” Kaboyo said.
However, the distribution of bicycles generated mixed reactions from LC1 chairpersons.
Robert Asaba, the local council one for Kihemba Cell was also happy with the distribution of the bicycle that he said will ease their work.
Raphael Kusemererwa, the Rusaka Upper LCI chairperson, appreciated the government for remembering them and facilitating what he termed as the right people in the government program implementation.
However, Kusemererwa noted that the bicycles would not help much since the majority of them can no longer ride them because of old age.