Gulu Municipal Council has improved in ranking among the 14 Municipalities in the country which is benefiting under the Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) despite for a long time being ranked as one of four worst performing Municipalities being funded by World Bank.
According to the new ranking, the council which for close to four years was locked up in the 14th position has jumped to number three.
Gulu comes after Arua and Fort Portal Municipal Council after scoring 75 points up from 41 in the 2010/2011 financial year.
Meanwhile, in the 2012/2013 financial year, it earned 58 points though it scored zero in procurement for the second year running.
Mr Francis Barabanawe, the Gulu Town Clerk noted that the improvement is due to the improvement in local revenue collections as well as the performance of the technical staff.
Barabanawe revealed that in the last financial year 2014/2015, they collected over Shs2 billion.
He attributed the improvement in collection by close to 43 percent to work efficiency.
The Town Clerk says, “Although the roads within the town center are dusty, we will work hard to improve on infrastructures.”
Mr George Labeja, the Mayor Gulu Municipal Council explained that the money is short by Shs600 million due to poor performances especially in procurement procedures and low population.
Labeja also revealed that the number of residents living within the municipality has been dwindling as former Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) resettle back to their original villages.
Currently, Gulu Municipal Council authorities have contracted a Chinese construction company, CHICO to undertake a multi billion shillings road construction projects.
The roads include, Labor line, School road, Cemetery road, Acholi Lane, and Alokolum road.
In March this year, World Bank released only Shs10.6 billion to Gulu Municipal Council under the USMID project after it emerged one of four worst performing Municipalities.
The cash is part of World Bank approval of a total amount of US$150 million under the International Development Association (IDA) credit to finance urban infrastructures and improvement of service delivery in 14 municipalities in Uganda.
Other municipalities selected to benefit from the World Bank money include Arua, Entebbe, Fort-portal, Hoima, Kabale, Masaka, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Soroti, and Tororo.
The six year Uganda Support to Municipal Infrastructure Development (USMID) will expand urban infrastructure and enhance the capacity of the benefiting municipalities to generate their own revenue, improve urban planning, strengthen financial management, procurement, environment and social systems.
