Ministry seeks Shs 308bln to establish 19 one-stop service centres
KAMPALA, August 10, 2026 — The Ministry of Public Service is seeking Shs 308 billion to bridge a funding gap and implement critical development projects, including the establishment of 19 Service Uganda one-stop centres across the country.
Appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Public Service and Local Government on Wednesday, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Catherine Bitarakwate, said plans were underway to establish the 19 zonal centres.
She said the centres would utilise existing POSTA Uganda infrastructure to centralise the delivery of multiple government services, including the issuance of passports and driving permits, tax assessments, payroll updates and pension verification, among others.
“Currently, individual ministries, departments and agencies [MDAs] run duplicate regional offices averaging Shs 200 million each annually. Consolidating into 19 zonal centres eliminates overlapping structures and saves the Government an estimated Shs 286.2bln annually,” Bitarakwate said.
She also highlighted plans to expand the Civil Service College Uganda at an estimated cost of US$ 30.4mln, saying the project would address challenges faced by civil servants who undertake training at the institution.
“The expansion of the college will reduce daily training costs to Shs197,000 per person, generate annual savings of Shs 6bln for Government and increase non-tax revenue to Shs 7.5bln,” Bitarakwate said.
Emmanuel Banya, the Koboko County MP questioned whether the Ministry of Public Service was best placed to strategically lead the one-stop service centres, which are intended to improve citizens’ access to government services.
Isaac Modoi, the Lutseshe County legislator raised concerns about the viability of the Government’s recent rationalisation process.
“When you merged government institutions through the rationalisation process, the challenges arising from this process seem to be watering down the purpose of the mergers. What remedies do you have to ensure that persons affected are catered for?” Modoi asked.
Bitarakwate explained that the mergers had required the integration of different work cultures among agencies that had previously operated under different parent ministries.
“The ministry is going to come up with a monitoring and evaluation report on the challenges and how they can be resolved. For individuals who lost jobs during rationalisation, we are progressively placing them in MDAs where there is attrition,” she said.
She added that a proposed ad hoc Salary Review Commission was being considered as part of the review of the Public Service Act. The commission, she said, would provide a comprehensive perspective on several other reforms being undertaken by the ministry.
On the proposed one-stop service centres, Bitarakwate told MPs that the Ministry of Public Service was spearheading the development of structures through which different government agencies would provide key services at decentralised locations.
“We are not the ones going to do immigration or issue permits, but we shall bring these entities under one roof, which is the old post office buildings. This will enable quick access to information and services rather than having people travel all the way to Kampala,” she said.
https://thecooperator.news/house-passes-public-service-pension-fund-bill-2024/
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