Echodu Leads Landmark Engagement to Strengthen Soroti City Governance and Service Delivery

By Peterson Hiirya.

Soroti City West Member of Parliament, David Calvin Echodu, on Thursday convened a landmark engagement meeting bringing together Soroti City’s political and technical leadership, Members of Parliament, division mayors, town clerks, councilors, and security officials to chart a common path toward addressing key challenges facing the city.

The meeting, described as the first of its kind, was aimed at fostering cordial working relations between the city’s political and technical wings, strengthening collaboration, and developing practical solutions to improve service delivery and accelerate Soroti City’s development agenda.

Among those in attendance were Soroti City East MP Moses Attan, Northern Division Mayor Abdul Latif, Eastern Division Mayor John Enomu, town clerks, councilors, and senior technical officers.

Addressing the gathering, Echodu emphasized the need for teamwork and regular engagement between leaders if the city is to deliver meaningful results to residents.

“We have all been elected as political leaders of this city, and it is critical for us to begin a formal working relationship. We need to create a platform where we can openly discuss how we work together and how we deliver services to our people,” Echodu said.

He noted that the engagement marked the beginning of a series of consultations intended to help leaders understand the city’s current status, identify existing gaps, and develop coordinated interventions.

“Before dealing with any situation, you must first audit and understand it. We want to understand what the city has, what it lacks, and what needs to be done. Once we understand that, it becomes easier for us to coordinate and work together,” he added.

Echodu stressed that the political and technical leadership must operate as one team to ensure effective service delivery and fulfil the promises made to the electorate.

A key focus of the discussions was the city’s planning framework. The legislator called for a review of Soroti City’s strategic plan to ensure it aligns with the Fourth National Development Plan (NDP IV) and reflects commitments outlined in the NRM Manifesto.

He also raised concerns about Soroti City’s low revenue performance, noting that the city ranks among the least funded cities in Uganda due to its limited local revenue base.

“How do we move Soroti from the bottom of the ranking to among the top-performing cities in the next five years? That is a challenge we must collectively address,” he said.

Echodu further highlighted the importance of improving sanitation and waste management, arguing that a clean city is essential for attracting investors and stimulating economic growth.

“If we want investment, we must make Soroti one of the cleanest cities in Uganda. Investors and their families want to live and work in a clean, safe environment,” he noted.

The MP also underscored the need to strengthen security, describing safety as a critical factor in attracting business and investment.

On institutional capacity, Echodu called for an audit of staffing levels and the city’s wage bill to ensure all critical positions are filled and adequately funded.

“We do not want to miss development opportunities because of staffing gaps. We must ensure the city has the human resource capacity required to deliver services effectively,” he said.

Looking ahead, he urged city leaders to prioritize strategic infrastructure projects, including the proposed regional referral hospital, the flying school, road bypasses, and other investments capable of transforming Soroti into a regional economic hub.

Echodu reaffirmed his commitment to working closely with both political and technical leaders to find lasting solutions to the city’s challenges.

“Our intention is to understand our problems together, find solutions together, and deliver together.

I believe we can achieve great things if we work as one team,” he said.