The Uganda Local Governments’ Association (ULGA) is the National Association of Local Governments of Uganda. It is a private, voluntary and non-profit body.
History
ULGA was established as Uganda Local Authorities Association (ULAA) in 1994. This was at a time when the Ugandan government had started the Decentralization Policy and was in the process of drawing up the new Constitution of 1995.
The District Chairpersons at the time, led by Hon.C.G Kiwanuka-Musisi who at that time was Chairperson of greater Mukono District Council and representing their respective Local Governments, established the Uganda Local Authorities Association (ULAA) on 14 April 1994 at Uganda Management Institute, Kampala to lobby and advocate for their members with a stronger voice, and in order to address Local Governments’ concerns within a wider context. On 1 October 2004, at their Annual General Meeting in Mbarara, the ULAA members agreed to change the name of their Association to Uganda Local Governments Association (ULGA), to embrace the concerns of all LGs, even those coming from affiliate members.
Legal status
ULGA is a registered legal entity with a mandate guided by its Constitution, and belongs to its constituent local governments as members. ULGA was formed to represent and advocate for the constitutional rights and interests of Local Governments and to act as the negotiating agency for its members.
Mandate
ULGA's mandate is to unite Local Governments, and provide them with Association member services, as well as a forum through which to come together and give each other support and guidance to make common positions on key issues that affect Local Governance. ULGA carries out this mandate through lobbying, advocacy and representation of Local Governments at local, national and international fora.
Although ULGA is not an organ of Government, the role of the Association is implied and recognized by the state in a number of arrangements. These include; appointment by His Excellency the President of Members onto the Local Government Finance Commission (LGFC), active participation in Sector Negotiations on the Conditional Grants with Sector Ministries, active participation in the Decentralisation Policy Strategy Framework (DPSF) and the Local Government Sector Investment Plan (LGSIP), and through representation of local governments and their interests in national for a such as the Northern Uganda Social Action Fund (NUSAF) and National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Public Sector Management working Group (PSM-WG), Decentralisation Management Technical Working Group (DMTWG) among others.
Objectives
The objectives of ULGA as stipulated in its Strategic Corporate plan of 2010–2014, an instrument that guides ULGA's planning, budgeting and resource allocation are:
To support a strong ULGA uniting and representing the interests of members and providing them with efficient and effective services Trusted Local Governments performing their mandated functions in an accountable and transparent manner To ensure a conducive policy, legal and regulatory framework for decentralisation and operation of LGs
Membership
Every District and Lower Local Government Council is eligible to become a member of the Association upon passing a council resolution, adopting the constitution and payment of membership and subscription fees.
There are two categories of members, the District Councils as Higher Local Governments and Municipalities, Sub counties and Town councils as Lower Local Governments. Currently all the One Hundred and Eleven (111) Districts and over Eight Hundred (800) Lower Local Governments are members of ULGA. Membership fees are paid once and annual subscription fees, depending on the Districts structural model, as established by the Ministry of Public Service.
The ULGA Constitution recognizes Affiliate organizations as part of its membership structure. Through the Secretariat, the Association coordinates and where possible helps to co-finance the activities of these bodies. The current affiliate Associations include the Association of District Speakers (UDICOSA), the Association of Chief Administrative Officers (ALGAOU), and the Association of Chief Finance Officers (CFO's).The Secretariat staff are attached to the different bodies to assist them perform their functions.
Structure and Management
The Association is able to meet its objectives through a number of organs. These include: the Annual General Meeting, the executive committee, the Ethics and Accountability Committee and the National Secretariat.