By Denis Turyahebwa
Following the merging of 25 Agencies back to their line ministries, all workers in those respective bodies need not to worry about their jobs, because the Government they have been serving is still here they are going to serve, but under different supervision, ICT and National guidance minister Frank Tumwebaze clarified on Tuesday, while answering to one of the questions from journalists.
“Agencies have workers who are technical; for example those specialists in software, and other computer related fields, engineers and other professional manpower, so they will provide the same services but this time to the ministries referred to,” he clarified.
He said the Executive Directors of the merged Agencies will at their convenience fit in the new framework as commissioners of the departments that fall under their professional qualifications.
Hon.Tumwebaze clarified that Executive Directors were appointed in accordance with the acts established by those agencies and by law. “If the law says the president has the mandate to appoint, it does not mean that the appointment is political so these people will use their qualifications to get other positions of employment,” he added.
He said the restructuring process is intended to remove duplicated functions through creating one clear chain of command and added that service expansion will come up with more opportunities in the departments under the ministries these agencies have been recalled to.
Hon Tumwebaze said Government Agencies have had salary disparities which have caused inefficiency and poor service delivery but with the restructuring and merging of the agencies, salaries will be harmonised and all public servants will get equal payments.
On another hand, Tumwebaze said Government Agencies like New vision, UBC and others that generate money and pay their workers without the contribution from the National wage bill will remain.
When asked how some agencies created out of an act of parliament will be merged without the parliament’s approval, he said the cabinet discusses issues that have been through Parliament and added that sometimes it requires repealing and amendment of the constitution for the good of the country.
Meanwhile, the Permanent secretary Ministry of public service Catherine Bitarakwate said that Agencies have been taking 37% of the National wage bill approximately UGX10.8 trillion, so merging of these agencies will mean the Government makes a cost saving.
Bellow is a list of dissolved and retained Agencies:
Dissolved Agencies
1-Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA)
2-Uganda Road Fund (URF)
3-Uganda Railways Corporation(URC)
4-Transport Licensing Board (TLB)
5-Uganda Registration Services Bureau (URSB)
6- Uganda Electricity Generation Co.Limited (UEGCL)
7-Uganda Electricity Transmission Co.Limited (UETCL)
8-Uganda Electricity Distribution Co Limited (UEDCL)
9-Rural Electrification Agency (REA)
10-Lotteries and Gaming Regulatory Board (LGRB)
11-Departed Asians Properties Custodian Board (DAPCB)
12-National Agricultural Advisory Services Org.(NAADS)
13-Uganda Trypanosomiasis Control Council (UTCC)
14-Dairy Development Authority (DDA)
15-Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA)
16-Cotton Development Organisation (CDO)
17-National Identification & Registration Authority (NIRA)
18- NGO Bureau
19-National Information Technology Authority (NITA)
20-Uganda Aids Commission (UIC)
21-National Drug Authority (NDA)
22-Uganda Blood Transfusion Services (UBTS)
23-Uganda Industrial Research Institute (UIRI)
24-Uganda National Council for Scie & Tech (UNCST)
25-Uganda Land Commission (ULC)
Retained Agencies:
Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA)
Uganda Communication Commission (UCC)
Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS)
Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBS)
National Medical Stores (NMS)
