Museveni insists rationalisation of public agencies will enhance efficiency

ENTEBBE, September 4, 2024 – President Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday addressed a key meeting at State House Entebbe, advocating for the strengthening of the Public Service Standing Orders.

With an emphasis on enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery, Museveni underscored the necessity of rationalisation as a fundamental strategy for optimal resource allocation within government structures.

“Rationalisation must go on as the correct system by having a structure that is not extravagant,” Museveni stated, reinforcing the government’s commitment to streamline operations and reduce wastage.

His remarks come as a critical response to ongoing discussions about improving public sector performance.

In the meeting with the Parliamentary Sectoral Committees on Finance, Planning and Economic Development, National Economy, and Agriculture, Museveni proposed the adoption of the Rationalisation of Agencies and Public Expenditure [RAPEX] concept, coupled with a proposed transitional implementation period of three years for the Uganda Coffee Development Authority [UCDA].

Museveni also highlighted that focusing on a singular entity with a clear mandate would eliminate redundancy and inefficiencies caused by multiple stakeholders in the system.

Further addressing the need to align public service with national objectives, Museveni called for the establishment of an economic framework built on scientific knowledge.

As part of enhancing agricultural service delivery, Museveni recommended revising government Standing Orders to ensure the inclusion of Agricultural Scientist Personnel at the Sub-county level. This initiative aims to provide better guidance on agricultural practices and optimise food production methods in Uganda.

Museveni’s dedication to rationalisation and the scientific approach signals a transformative effort toward a more efficient and responsive public service.

In April 2024, Parliament approved the rationalisation of several government agencies, having been presented by Public Service Minister Wilson Muruuli Mukasa, and other ministers, aiming at enhancing efficiency and optimising resources. Some of the bills passed included; Warehouse Receipt System [Amendment] Bill 2024, the Free Zones [Amendment] Bill 2024, the Uganda Exports Promotions Boards Act [Repeal] Bill 2024,

Others are the Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre Act [Repeal] Bill 2024 and the Uganda Wildlife [Amendment] Bill 2024, although the MPs also debated and rationalised the Uganda National Meteorological Authority [Amendment] Bill 2024 and the National Commission for UNESCO [Amendment] Bill 2024 doing away with the board and the entity back to the Ministry of Education.

However, Parliament has rejected a move to have the Uganda National Road Fund [UNRA] mainstreamed back to the Ministry of Works and Transport.
This followed a vote by the legislators against a bill, the Uganda National Roads Authority [Repeal] Bill, 202. It thought sought to have the functions of the agency revert to the mother ministry
The bill was moved by the sector minister, Gen. Katumba Wamala in a sitting of the House on April 23, 2024.

The minister in his justification said that merging the agency into the ministry would lead to a saving of Shs 39 billion in wages per month paid to the over 1500 staff.
“UNRA is in effect bigger than the ministry and this is an agency. The ministry staffing is 529 and the bill is Shs 17 billion while UNRA’s bill is Shs 71 billion, Katumba Wamala said at the time.

He added then that the parallel operations of UNRA and the Uganda Road Fund have caused division in the mother ministry which has affected direct command and control as well as effective delivery of services.
“The Ministry of Works generates policies and the boards of agencies generate policies, that is contradictory. These are two areas commanding in one area,” he said. “We have three accounting officers in the same ministry; one for Road Fund, UNRA, and one for the ministry; that is wastage of resources.”

However, Chairperson of the Committee on Physical Infrastructure, Dan Kimosho who presented a report on the bill to the House in April rejected the mainstreaming of UNRA.

Kimosho defended UNRA’s autonomy, saying the agency has for the last 15 years, constructed 3,686km of new paved national roads representing an average of 230km per year.
“The role of UNRA in the management, development and maintenance of the national roads infrastructure is critical to the performance of the works and transport sector and the country’s development aspiration in light of Uganda being a transit and land-locked country,” he said then.

The committee also argued that mainstreaming UNRA into the ministry will lead to the same challenges experienced in the past that led the same ministry to spearhead the formation of UNRA and would necessitate future reforms to recreate it,” the report added in part.
“The committee is concerned that government likely to suffer a setback of delayed project implementation and completion of important and strategic road infrastructure because of the shocks that come with the rationalisation process,” Kimosho added.

On the move to have UNRA staff absorbed into the ministry, the committee noted that there is no guarantee of employment following the dissolution of the agency.

Members of Parliament supported the committee position of retaining the autonomy of UNRA arguing that the agency is doing good work.

“Let UNRA stay because it is handling critical work. If it wasn’t for UNRA, we who come from Western Uganda would be cut off,” said Rubabo County MP, Naboth Namanya.

Under section 6 of the UNRA Act [2006], UNRA is responsible for the management, development, and maintenance of the national roads and to advise government on policy matters concerning roads and to assist in the coordination and implementation of the policy relating to roads.

MPs want NAADS, UCDA, CDO to stay

Still Members of Parliament have rejected a government proposal to merge the National Agricultural Advisory Services [NAADS], the Uganda Coffee Development Authority [UCDA], the Cotton Development Organisation [CDO] and the Dairy Development Authority [DDA], into the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries [MAAIF].

The legislators’ stand is premised on the justification that the four agencies do not meet the qualifications suggested under the rationalisation policy. The MPs argued that the agencies such as UCDA and DDA are critical in generating both domestic and foreign revenue and that their mandates do not overlap.

“Under DDA dairy exports have tripled from Shs287.4 billion to Shs976.4bln between 2019 and 2023. In the financial year 2022/2023, milk powder was the most exported product accounting to 54 percent of the total exports followed by UHT milk at 33.1 percent,” said Janet Okori-Moe Chairperson Committee on Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.

Okori-Moe was presenting the committee reports on the proposed mergers during the plenary sitting on April 19, 2024. She said sectors such as coffee, dairy and cotton require specialised agencies to monitor production and enforce quality assurance for export if the country is to sustain the current achievements.

“In all successful coffee producing and exporting countries including Brazil and Vietnam coffee is regulated by a special agency. The civil service mode of operation and service delivery cannot efficiently undertake and deliver this mandate and Uganda is not about to retract from the coffee road map of achieving 20 million bags by 2030,” said Okori-Moe.

The committee assessment revealed that government would not make savings from the mergers citing the DDA whose staff are dominantly scientists that would still be paid high salaries even within the ministry.

Elijah Okupa [ Kasilo County] observed that government quoted a wrong figure for savings that would be made by merging UCDA into the ministry, saying the justification was misleading.

“The Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development said they will save Shs 80 billion yet the budget for coffee has been about Shs 40 billion. He needs to apologise for bringing wrong documents to this House,” said Okupa.

In upholding NAADs, legislators said Parliament is preserving a significant contributor to food security and poverty eradication.

“Cash crops like tea and cocoa which have no regulatory agency are being promoted by NAADS. As a result of NAADS intervention, production in the tea sector has steadily increased with the country producing 81,675 metric tonnes of tea in 2022 worth US$ 38.36 million,” said Okori-Moe while presenting a report on the National Agricultural Advisory Services [Amendment] Bill, 2024.

The report stated that through NAADs efforts Uganda has become the food basket for the East African region such that about 40 percent of households have achieved a balanced diet and that at least 25 percent of Ugandans achieve three meals per day.

Muhammad Muwanga, Butambala County MP said the House decision on the four agencies calls for proper appropriation of resources to boost their current achievements.

The mover of the rationalisation policy who is also the Minister for Public Service, Wilson Muruuli Mukasa stressed the genesis of government decision to merge and repeal some of its agencies, saying the focus was to reduce wasteful expenditure and improving efficiency in service delivery.

Parliament on the other hand has passed the Agricultural Chemicals [Control] [Amendment] Bill, 2024 and the Tyrapanosomiasis [Repeal] bill 2024.

RAPEX was adapted by Cabinet on February 22, 2021 in a bid to reduce wasteful public expenditure by government agencies and save more than Shs 1 trillion in public expenditure.

https://thecooperator.news/delayed-rationalisation-of-govt-agencies-affecting-energy-sector/

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