Rationalisation a wakeup call for govt to professionalize public service

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OPINION

By Peter Nyanzi

The ongoing fight between the Executive and Parliament over the ‘rationalization’ of government agencies and departments by returning them to their mother Ministries speaks volumes about the inefficiency of Government ministries.

That the vast majority of Members of Parliament have been totally against returning several key institutions such as Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA), the Uganda Coffee Development Authority and the Cotton Development Authority to their mother ministries, is a clear indictment and a clarion wakeup call for the government to wake up and address the glaring inefficiencies in its public service machinery.

Whereas rationalization is a positive development aimed at reducing public expenditure, the MPs’ argument, and which reflects the general public opinion, is that returning these key agencies to the ministries would amount to a death sentence for effective service delivery as they won’t be able to effectively undertake the functions that they have been performing.

Of course, the inefficiency of public service in Uganda is well-documented, attributed to several interrelated factors, which have historically hindered effective service delivery, impacting sectors like healthcare, agriculture, education and infrastructure.

Key among them is poor management, mainly due to weak governance structures and lack of institutional capacity to effectively deliver services to Ugandans.  Ministries also suffer from gross political interference and patronage. The longstanding practice of appointing (read rewarding) individuals for political loyalty (cadres) rather than merit leads to inefficiency, as key positions are often be filled by unqualified individuals.

Additionally, Ugandan ministries are often mired in excessive bureaucracy, which delays decision-making and eventually service delivery. Complex administrative processes and red-tape slow down key projects thus frustrating contractors and suppliers. This inefficiency reduces the ability of government ministries to respond to the needs of its citizens in a timely manner.

Also, staff in ministries suffer from chronic low morale due to poor working conditions including poor pay, including poor pay, lack of career progression, and inadequate training opportunities.

Little wonder that out of frustration, even our top development partners decided to resort to funding projects directly rather than providing budget support to the Government.

This is because projects tend to be managed by experts and usually have clearly defined goals, timelines, and measurable outcomes.

The ongoing rationalization debacle should therefore help open the eyes of the Executive in regard to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of the public service in Uganda, going forward.

Introducing performance-based and results-oriented systems that reward civil servants and institutions for meeting service delivery targets and penalize inefficiency or corruption, is long overdue.

We can borrow a leaf from other countries where recruitment into public service, right from the ministerial level, is based on merit.

Ministries need to strengthen the public service recruitment process so as to ensure merit-based hiring, mitigate mixing service delivery and politics and generally promoting professionalism.

Let me illustrate from the key ministries of Works and Transport and that of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries.  Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences.

Yet, his ministry is being forced to supervise experts at the Cotton Development Organisation(CDO), the National Agricultural Advisory Services(NAADS), the Diary Development Authority(DDA), the Uganda Coffee Development Authority(UCDA),  the National Agricultural Research Organisation(NARO), among others.

Gen. Katumba Wamala, the minister of Works and Transport, holds a degree in Social Sciences, while his junior ministers; Hon. Echweru Musa, the state minister for Works, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Democracy and Development Studies, and Hon. Fred Byamukama, the state minister for Transport, holds a Bachelor of Science in Anaesthesia.

Now, how will the public and development partners have confidence that these key ministries would be able to deliver when these vital institutions are put under their care?

If public service is to get the public confidence that it desperately needs, Cabinet ministers should be appointed to their respective ministries depending on their professional competences.

We can emulate the other countries that have a system whereby public servants are hired through a competitive and transparent mechanism and put on performance-based contracts with well-defined key performance indicators.

Finally, there is an urgent need to improve working conditions for lower staff, offer them competitive wages, and establish clear career progression paths so as to attract and retain skilled professionals in the public service.

In a nutshell, the rubbing of shoulders in government over the rationalization of public institutions should be a wakeup call for the Government to work at making our public service professional, effective and efficient through systemic reforms. 

The writer is a journalist