The government first mooted the proposal to merge its departments and agencies in 2018. It stemmed from reports indicating that many agencies were redundant, underperforming and duplicating work, yet they take chunks of money for their operations.
Minister for Public service Wilson Muruli Mukasa addressing Journalists at Media Center, photo by Ronard Shabomwe.
The
government has unveiled a three-year plan to merge and consolidate agencies,
departments and authorities in a bid to cut costs and duplication of work.
The Minister for Information and Communication Technology-ICT, Judith
Nabakooba revealed the move at a press briefing at the government-owned Uganda
Media center on Tuesday.
The
government first mooted the proposal to merge its departments and agencies in
2018. It stemmed from reports indicating that many agencies were redundant,
underperforming and duplicating work, yet they take chunks of money for their
operations.
President Yoweri Museveni ordered a review
of the public service with a view of scrapping, downsizing and merging the government
agencies and Authorities to avoid wastage of the country's meagre resources. Now,
Nabakooba says the government has drawn a road map
for reorganizing the ministries and institutions of over three years with a
view of improving service delivery.
She
says that once effected, the merger will save the Government up to Shillings 988billion
and improve efficiency. According to Nabakooba, the cabinet has already
adopted the proposals for the merger and consolidation of the government, agencies and departments.
She says the government intends to constitute an Inter-Ministerial Technical Committee to
manage the process, adding that government is the process of issuing a circular
to the Public Service Ministry freezing the creation of new agencies and provide
guidelines on a transition arrangement for staff whose contracts will be
affected.
The government also intends to set up a change
of management implementation strategy. The staff of the affected institutions
will be prepared for the changes, in addition to reviewing the legal frame of
the affected agencies.
Financial
implications and institutional structural framework including terms and
conditions of service of the employees will be reviewed. Cabinet will receive a
revised structure of the agencies and financial implication of the rationalization for approval.
The public
service will receive and validate for absorption the credentials of the employees
from the affected agencies.
“The structure will be revised and the compensation
of the personnel to be off boarded will be undertaken. The salary structures
for the agencies will be harmonized and mainstreamed with the Public service in
accordance with the approved pay targets,” the statement issued by the minister
reads.
Some of the agencies identified for the merger are the National Council
for Higher Education, National Curriculum Development Centre and the
Directorate of Industrial Training. Others
are Uganda Tourism Board, Uganda Wildlife Authority, Chimpanzee Sanctuary and
Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, which will be mainstreamed under the Ministry
of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities.
While the Insurance Regulatory Authority,
Uganda Retirement Benefits Authority and Uganda Microfinance Regulatory
Authority will be merged to create specialized directorates from non-bank
supervision within the Bank of Uganda.