Local Governments Act
Cap 138 | Last Updated: 31 December 2023
1.Object of Act
The object of this Act is—
(a)to give full effect to the decentralisation of functions, powers, responsibilities and services at all levels of local governments;
(b)to ensure democratic participation in, and control of, decision making by the people concerned;
(c)to establish affirmative action in favour of groups marginalised on the basis of gender, age, disability or any other reason created by history, tradition or custom, for the purpose of addressing imbalances which exist against them;
(d)to establish sources of revenue and financial accountability;
(e)to provide for the election of local councils;
(f)to establish and provide for the composition of interim councils for newly created local government units pending elections of the councils; and
(g)to provide for formation of interim executive committees for interim councils.
2.Interpretation
In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires—
"byelaws" means rules made by lower local councils under section 41;
"council" includes all councils referred to under sections 3 and 47;
"currency point" has the value assigned to it in Schedule 1 to this Act;
"electoral area" means one of the areas into which a district, city, municipality, town, division or subcounty is divided for the purpose of elections and representation;
"full time service" means fully utilising the official hours in the service of the council or relevant office;
"Government" means the Government of Uganda;
"immediate family" means wife or husband and children under eighteen years;
"local council" includes local government councils and administrative unit councils;
"local government" means a local council established under section 3(2), (3), (4) or (5);
"lower local government" means a municipality, town, division and subcounty council;
"Minister" means Minister responsible for local governments;
"Ministry" means a Ministry of the Government;
"ordinance" means the law made or passed by the district council under section 40;
"Parliament" means the Parliament of Uganda;
"persons with disabilities" means persons with disabilities as disabilities are defined under the Persons with Disabilities Act;
"public officer" means any person holding or acting in any public office;
"public service" means service in any civil capacity of the Government or a local government;
"registered voter" means a person whose name is entered on the voters register;
"speaker" means the speaker elected under section 11 or section 24 and "deputy speaker" shall be construed accordingly;
"urban authority" includes a city council, city division council, municipal council and town council;
"urban council" includes city, municipal, division and town council;
"ward" in an urban council is the equivalent of a parish in a district council.
3.Local governments
(1)The system of local government shall be based on the district as a unit under which there shall be lower local governments and administrative units,
(2)The local governments in a district rural area shall be—
(a)the district council; and
(b)the subcounty councils.
(3)The local governments in a city shall be—
(a)the city council; and
(b)the city division councils.
(4)The local governments in a municipality shall be—
(a)the municipal council; and
(b)the municipal division councils.
(5)The local government in a town shall be the town council.
4.City to be equivalent to district
For purposes of this Act—
(a)a city shall be equivalent to a district, and a city council shall exercise all functions and powers conferred upon a district council within its area of jurisdiction;
(b)a city division shall be equivalent to a municipality; and
(c)a municipal division and a town shall be equivalent to a subcounty.
This is the complete text of Local Governments Act (Cap 138). For legal advice, please consult a qualified lawyer.