ACFODE Reviews Good Governance And Gender Accountability In Lango Sub Region

Action for Development (ACFODE), with support from DIAKONIA, facilitated review meetings on good governance and gender accountability in Lango sub region from 15th to 18th October 2012 under the theme: Promoting Good Governance and Gender Accountability at local level.

A session during the review process

Dialogues with district councilors from Apac, Oyam and Kole districts in northern Uganda during the review process enabled ACFODE to identify several factors that have contributed to the increase in gender inequalities in the districts. They included; poor monitoring of local government development programs by the technical personnel and council executives, failure to integrate sub-county development priorities into the district development plans, low levels of education among women councilors who are supposed to contribute effectively in influencing gender related ordinances, early marriages, bureaucracy in passing ordinances, inadequate funding allocated to gender responsive programs, poor attitudes of some district leaders towards gender promotion, lack of political will, difficulty in accessing legal policy documents by councilors e.g. Local Government Act and difficulty in the interpretation of laws.

The dialogues served as a platform for reform in as much as they led to a number of positive outcomes including;

Commitments of the Councilors from Apac District

Commitment by elected Councilors to work with focal gender persons in the districts to ensure that gender issues are incorporated into district development programmes.

Vows by elected Councilors to develop gender responsive ordinances, for example, in Oyam the ordinance on safe deliveries for mothers was formulated, while Councilors in Apac proposed to allocate 10% of its FY 2013-3014 district budget towards economic empowerment of women and Girl Child Education.

Pledges by Councilors to push for the speedy approval of District Service Commission by the ministry of Public Service in order to facilitate the recruitment of more personell,  sensitize the electorate on the budget process and network with NGOs and CBOs to provide reference materials on gender.