Uganda's Administrative chiefs and town clerks tasked with poverty eradication

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The outgoing deputy Director General of the Internal Security Organisation (ISO), Col Emmy Katabazi, has tasked chief administrative officers (CAOs) and town clerks to have the correct ideology to fight poverty.

Col Katabazi argued that if Uganda is to realize economic development, remain stable and become influential in the East African region, there is need for the chief administrative officers and town clerks to be ideologically oriented to President Yoweri Museveni’s call on patriotism and social economic transformation.

The outgoing deputy director general of ISO, Col Emmy Katabazi (right), accompanies the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Benjamin Kumumanya, during the chief administrators and town clerks retreat at National Leadership Institute (NALI) Kyankwanzi, on April 11, 2025. (Photo by Francis Emorut)

“For Uganda to transform and have regional stability and have political influence in the region, then the civil servants must play their role well by having the correctness of ideology (patriotic),” Col Katabazi said.

The outgoing ISO deputy chief, recently appointed as deputy ambassador, urged the district accounting officers to be mindful of the commander in chief’s intent of development and lifting the population out of poverty through ventures like Paris Development Model (PDM) and Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), among others.

The outgoing deputy director general of ISO, Col Emmy Katabazi, addressing participants during the chief administrators and town clerks retreat at National Leadership Institute (NALI), Kyankwanzi on April 11, 2025. (Photo by Francis Emorut)

“You need to open your mind and be ideologically oriented to the President’s call on patriotism. When your ideology is shallow, your outlook is narrow,” Col Katabazi said.

He made remarks during the retreat of chief administrative officers and town clerks at National Leadership Institute (NALI) in Kyakwanzi on Friday, April 11, 2025.

The two-week training attracted 170 participants, including officers from the 10 new cities and 31 municipalities.

The outgoing deputy director general of ISO Col Emmy Katabazi (left), interacts with participants during the chief administrators and town clerks retreat at National Leadership Institute (NALI), Kyankwanzi on April 11, 2025. (Photo by Francis Emorut)

The main objective of the refresher training is to revitalize and upscale the chief administrative officers, city clerks and town clerks’ knowledge, skills and competencies for them to perform their duties and fulfil their responsibilities more responsively, effectively and efficiently.

Col Katabazi reminded the accounting officers that they are implementing the programme of the leadership of the ruling party (National Resistance Movement) and therefore, should not deviate from it.

“You must commit yourselves to lift our people out of poverty because Uganda has resources,” he stated.

He explained that money allocated to districts should be properly utilized.

The outgoing ISO deputy chief spy noted that chief administrative officers are the commanders at the district's local governments who should always be proactive to deliver effective and efficient service delivery to the citizens.

Col Katabazi, who was presenting a paper titled “safeguarding security in local governments”, informed participants that the country’s national defense and stability rely jointly on the political class, security services and technocrats.

“You must safeguard the security of local governments as security is beyond small matters but bigger issues which require the best brains who are thinking 24 hours. You are the “commanders” of the districts, and failure to galvanize, you become part timers,” he said.

He appealed to the participants to constantly update information on the operational situation in the districts to avoid being caught off track.



“You must know the intent of your commander and create the information system, and do the follow-up because you are the ones in the chair. Anything going wrong, you will take responsibility,” Col Katabazi said.

The permanent secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, Benjamin Kumumanya, agreed with Col Katabazi, saying the CAOs must implement the Commander in Chief ideology that will see effective and efficient service delivery.

“You (CAOs) are the commanders of the districts, what you do and how it’s implemented, you will be held responsible and accountable and therefore, watch out for that”, Kumumanya said.

He appealed to the district accounting officers to inform the ministry’s top management if there is any interference by the district's LC5 chairpersons in their work.

“If there is interference by the LC5 chairperson in your work, bring it to us. The Ministry of Local Government has powers to act if there is evidence and when investigations are concluded and the culprit, if found culpable,” he stated.

In attendance was the undersecretary Ministry of Local Government, Hajji Muhammad Sewante, and other top ministry officials.