UNRA, over 30 other agencies to be disbanded

UNRA procured 108 trucks in Febraury 2017 for road maintenance

Cabinet has approved the merger of over 30 agencies and returned functions of more than 30 others to their mother ministries.

The Uganda National Roads Authority, Uganda Investment Authority, Insurance Regulatory Authority, Uganda Wildlife Authority and the National Agricultural Research Organisation are among the prominent institutions which will be merged and transformed into departments under the respective line ministries.

This is intended to reduce the costs. According to the Ministry of Public Service, agencies, commissions and authorities gobble up 37% of the national budget. This translates to over sh10trillion of the sh29 trillion budget for the 2018/19 financial year.

For over a decade now, UNRA has been spending over sh3trillion annually. Agencies and authorities spend a substantial amount of the funds on staff salaries and allowances.

The ICT and national guidance minister, Frank Tumwebaze, said yesterday that the cabinet resolved to merge and return some agencies to the line ministries to promote efficiency and eliminate duplication and wasteful expenditures as well as facilitate the process of harmonizing salaries of public service.

However, over 30 other agencies, commissions and authorities have been retained. A decision was taken to retain ministries, according to the minister, which are engaged in the business of making money, and are not allocated funds in the national budget. All the nine public universities, which are funded by Government, will be retained.