The Ugandan government has merged several secretariats and amended various laws to enhance efficiency and reduce redundancy within its administration. This move includes the creation of the National Secretariat for Special Interest Groups under the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development, which will consolidate the functions of several councils.
President Museveni has signed into law several key pieces of legislation: the National Planning Authority (Amendment) Act 2024, the National Population Council (Repeal) Act 2024, and the Physical Planning (Amendment) Act 2024. These amendments transfer responsibilities from the dissolved entities to the National Planning Authority (NPA). Additionally, the Registration of Persons (Amendment) Act 2024, the Uganda Registration Services Bureau (Amendment) Act 2024, and the National Identification and Registration Authority (Amendment) Act clarify the civil registration functions between NIRA and URSB, with NIRA handling natural persons and URSB managing juridical persons and non-incorporated entities.
The Uganda Wildlife Authority (Amendment) Act and the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre (Amendment) Act have merged these two entities. The Non-Governmental Organisations (Amendment) Act 2024 has dissolved the NGO Board, with its functions reverting to the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Other laws amended include the National Library Amendment Act, the Uganda Trypanosomiasis Control Council (Repeal) Act 2024, and the Agricultural Chemicals (Control) (Amendment) Act 2024.
Affected ministries and agencies are awaiting statutory instruments from their respective ministers to implement the changes, which will involve reassigning roles, moving staff to line departments, and potentially laying off some employees. The Ministry of Finance has allocated funds to compensate those who lose their jobs due to these changes.
“We budgeted for Rapex comprehensively,” stated Henry Musasizi, Minister of Finance in charge of General Duties. “We have a block figure of about Shs70 billion under the Ministry of Public Service for activities like compensation, organizing structures, and mainstreaming.”
The rationalization has elicited mixed reactions. Maj Gen David Kasura Kyomukama, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry, and Fisheries, indicated readiness to integrate the new administrative structure, while maintaining essential functions.
Jacob Eyeru, Chairperson of the National Youth Council (NYC), assured that the council retains its powers and functions despite the administrative changes. Similarly, Charles Isabirye, Chairperson of the National Older Persons Council, expressed concerns over the lack of consultation but acknowledged that their functions remain unchanged.
Charles Oleny Ojok, Deputy Executive Director of the NPA, confirmed the implementation of a comprehensive integration plan for assuming new planning duties. However, not all staff will be retained, with top management and support staff facing potential layoffs.
NGO sector leaders have voiced concerns. Sarah Birete, Executive Director of the Centre for Constitutional Governance, criticized the dissolution of the NGO Bureau, warning of potential negative impacts on the sector. Dr. Livingstone Sewanyana, Executive Director of the Foundation for Human Rights Initiative (FHRI), emphasized the importance of maintaining the Bureau’s functions for licensing and accountability.
Last week, President Museveni rejected Parliament’s decision to save some entities from rationalization, including the Uganda National Roads Authority and the Uganda Coffee Development Authority, among others. New bills are being drafted to address legislators’ concerns while continuing the merger process, which is expected to save the government approximately Shs1 trillion by eliminating duplications and improving service delivery.
