About UAAU

About us Overview Leadership

Background and Origin

Prior to April 1959, the municipalities of Kampala and Jinja were members of the then Association of Municipalities of East Africa, based in Kenya.

According to a report submitted to the Town Clerks of Jinja, Masaka, and Mbale Municipal Councils by Mr. K.E Evans (the then Town Clerk of Kampala) the Association of Municipalities of East Africa grew out of the former Association of Municipalities of Kenya.

Its constitution and name were changed to permit municipalities outside Kenya to become its members. The main business of the Association continued to be concerned with Kenya Local Authorities affairs because the number of outside Authorities was negligible. However, Authorities outside derived some benefits from being members.

As more and more types of Authorities were created, there arose a need among the Kenya members to form an Association that would embrace all types of Local Authorities. The Association decided to set up a sub-committee to examine the possibility of incorporating all types of newly created Local Authorities into the Association.

In its report the sub-committee concluded that it was not practical to form an Association that would cover all types of Local Authorities in the whole of East Africa. It was recommended that the Association of Municipalities of East Africa be dissolved in due course and that Local Authorities in each territory should form their own Association.

It was hoped that once the Associations were formed in each territory, arrangements would be made for joint consultations and discussions among the territorial Associations covering issues of general interest to Local Authorities throughout East Africa.

It was against the above background that a proposal aiming at me forming an Association of Local Authorities in Uganda was put before the Kampala Municipal Council to solicit their opinion on the matter.

The proposal was overwhelmingly supported by the Council and it instructed the Kampala Town Clerk to extend invitations to the Jinja Municipal Council and two other sister towns of Masaka and Mbale to attend a meeting that was to be organised to discuss the formation of a Local Authorities Association for Uganda.

Membership

With the advent of rapid urbanization mainly due to rural urban migration coupled with the set in of decentralization processes the Association now has 1 City Authority, 10 cities, 25 City Divisions, 31 Municipalities, 89 Municipal Divisions, 586 Town Councils and 91 Municipal Divisions that constitute its membership.

The Town Boards are the latest entrants into the urban family following the amendment of Section 45 of the Local Governments Act Cap 243, however they are not body corporate, UAAU has not effectively tapped into this prospective group as a potential for membership and will need to strategically endeavor to serve and advocate for the interests of town boards too to make them more effective like other members of the urban authorities.

leadership

UAAU's leadership consists of a dedicated team of professionals who are passionate about promoting good governance for sustainable urban development and empowering urban authorities. Our team includes experts in urban planning, local governance, and public service delivery, who work tirelessly to ensure that UAAU achieves its mission and vision. If you are interested in learning more about UAAU, or if you would like to become a member, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. We are always happy to help and provide any necessary information.