Government names 60 agencies to be merged

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Government has listed its agencies, commissions and authorities that were approved for mergers or being transferred back to their mother ministries as departments or directorates.

David Karubanga, the Minister of State for Public Service told journalists at the Uganda Media Centre that a team that was set up by the government reviewed 157 entities and came up with recommendations on how to make them more responsive to the needs of Ugandans. The government adopted some of the recommendations of the committee while in some cases it overruled them.

In some of the changes, the Equal Opportunities Commission will be abolished, and its services transferred to the Uganda Human Rights Commission, since according to the report, equal opportunities are human rights. The Uganda Investment Authority, Enterprise Uganda Foundation Limited, Uganda Exports Promotions Board, Uganda Free Zones Authority, Private Sector Foundation of Uganda and the Privatization Unit have been merged into one entity, while the Management Training and Advisory Centre has been merged with Nakawa Vocational Training Institute.

Also, the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, Uganda Tourism Board, and Uganda Wildlife Authority will be merged into one. The National Youth Council, National Women’s Council, National Council for Children, National Council for Disability and the National Council for Older Persons have also been consolidated into one authority, and the National Council of Higher Education will be merged with the National Curriculum Development Centre, and Kyambogo Teacher Curriculum centre.

The other entities include the Uganda Allied Health Examinations Board and Uganda Nurses and Midwifery Examinations Board that have been merged to form one entity, the Uganda Nurses and Midwifes Council, Allied Health Professional Council, Medical and Dental Practitioners Council will now be merged into one council, and the Population Secretariat will now be merged with the Metropolitan Physical Planning Authority, Town and Country Planning Board, National Physical Planning Board and the National Planning Authority.

The Public Service Commission, the Health Service Commission, and Education Service Commission are to also be merged into one Service Commission with specialized Departments to recruit for specialized areas, while the Uganda National Roads Authority, the body in charge of roads will now become a department in the Ministry of Works and Transport. The Uganda Registrations Services Bureau, the National Identification Registration Authority, and the Uganda Non-governmental Registration Board will now be consolidated under one agency.

In the energy sector, the Uganda Electricity Generation Company Limited, Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited and Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited will be consolidated to form one electricity company. On the other hand, the Rural Electrification Agency is to go back to the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development as a department. The Uganda Warehouse Receipt System Authority was mainstreamed as a department under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Cooperatives while the Amnesty Commission and the National Citizenship and Immigration Control are to be departments under the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Other agencies that have been affected include, the Centre for Alternative Disputes, Law Reform Commission and the Electricity Disputes Tribunal which will be units under the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. The National Agricultural Advisory Services, Uganda Trypanosomiasis Control Council, the Uganda Cotton Development Organization, Uganda Coffee Development Authority and the Dairy Development Authority were approved to be departments under the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.

The other entities that have seen their status change include; the Students Financing Board, the National Library of Uganda that have been put back under the Ministry of Education and Sports, the National Forestry Authority and the Uganda National Meteorological Authority which will now be directorates under the Ministry of Water and Environment, the National Roads Safety Board, the Transport Licensing Board and the Uganda Road Fund will be departments in the Ministry of Works and Transport.

According to the list, almost 100 government entities were retained as they are while others were either merged with others or taken back to their mother ministries. One company; Kinyara Sugar Works where government has interest was approved for total privatization.

The minister says this was done in fulfillment of a February 22, recommendation by cabinet to improve the efficiency of service delivery to the country and also do away with wasteful expenditures.

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