TOP, WORST 10 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS REVEALED: Isingiro Tops 2025 LGMSD Rankings as Western Uganda Dominates Performance Table
By Watchdog Uganda Reporter
KAMPALA — Isingiro District has emerged as Uganda’s best-performing local government in the 2025 Local Government Management of Service Delivery (LGMSD) Performance Assessment, posting a commanding 98.37 percent and dislodging Kiruhura District from the top spot.
The assessment, conducted by the Office of the Prime Minister, evaluated 176 local governments for the 2024/25 financial year. While national performance improved modestly to 67.23 percent from 60.15 percent, the report once again exposes a stubborn and widening regional divide in service delivery.
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TOP 10 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS – 2025 LGMSD RANKINGS
1. Isingiro District – 98.37%
2. Kiruhura District – 97.10%
3. Nansana Municipal Council – 94.50%
4. Kira Municipal Council – 93.88%
5. Njeru Municipal Council – 93.75%
6. Kazo District – 93.12%
7. Sembabule District – 92.35%
8. Mukono Municipality – 91.75%
9. Mpigi District – 91.08%
10. Ibanda Municipal Council – 91.00%
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WESTERN UGANDA RETAINS GRIP ON TOP PERFORMANCE
Western Uganda has once again asserted dominance in the rankings, with Isingiro, Kiruhura, Kazo, Sembabule, and Ibanda firmly entrenched in the elite tier.
Analysts attribute this sustained performance to stronger administrative coordination, relatively stable staffing structures, and higher absorption rates of development funding compared to other regions.
Kiruhura, a long-standing frontrunner, maintains its elite status despite slipping to second place.
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CENTRAL MUNICIPALITIES SHOW SHARP GAINS
Central Uganda’s urban councils recorded some of the most dramatic improvements in the 2025 assessment.
Nansana Municipal Council surged from 96th position in the previous cycle to third overall, while Njeru Municipal Council climbed into fifth place after a major turnaround in performance.
Mukono Municipality also maintained strong performance, securing eighth position and reinforcing its standing among the better-managed urban local governments in the Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area.
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NATIONAL AVERAGE IMPROVES—BUT WEAK SPOTS REMAIN
National performance rose to 67.23 percent, reflecting gradual improvements in planning, reporting, and execution of government programmes.
Sector performance shows mixed results:
* Water and sanitation: 73.08% (best performing sector)
* Production services: strong but uneven
* Infrastructure and asset management: 60.24% (weakest sector)
Persistent weaknesses in infrastructure continue to undermine service delivery, with many local governments struggling to maintain roads, bridges, and public facilities.
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EASTERN AND NORTHERN DISTRICTS STRUGGLE
Despite overall gains, the report highlights a sharp regional imbalance, with several eastern and northeastern districts continuing to underperform.
At the bottom of the 2025 rankings are:
* Tororo Municipal Council – 33.74%
* Bukwo District – 35.32%
* Kotido Municipal Council – 37.06%
* Kween District – 39.32%
* Bulambuli District – 40.22%
These areas cite structural constraints including difficult terrain, chronic staffing shortages linked to wage bill ceilings, and inadequate development financing.
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GOVERNMENT DEFENDS PROGRESS
Minister for General Duties Justine Kasule Lumumba welcomed the overall improvement, crediting government programmes such as the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga for driving incremental gains.
However, critics argue that a national average still below 70 percent—despite years of assessments—signals deeper structural inefficiencies in Uganda’s decentralisation system, particularly in resource distribution and staffing equity.
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FUNDING IMPLICATIONS RAISE THE STAKES
The LGMSD assessment is not merely statistical—it directly determines performance-based grant allocations for the next financial year.
High-performing local governments stand to receive increased funding, while low performers are required to submit and implement corrective improvement plans under central government supervision.
While designed to incentivise accountability, analysts warn the model risks deepening inequality if structural gaps remain unaddressed.
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BEYOND THE SCORECARDS
Watchdog Uganda observes that while the 2025 LGMSD results highlight pockets of excellence, they also expose a persistent governance challenge: unequal service delivery across regions.
For many Ugandans in lower-performing districts, the reality remains unchanged—poor road networks, understaffed health centres, and inconsistent access to basic services such as clean water.
The full LGMSD report and detailed district scorecards are expected to be released on official government platforms in the coming days.
As Uganda advances its decentralisation agenda, the 2025 findings deliver a clear verdict: progress is visible—but still uneven, and far from universal.
The post TOP, WORST 10 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS REVEALED: Isingiro Tops 2025 LGMSD Rankings as Western Uganda Dominates Performance Table appeared first on Watchdog Uganda.
