Civil service needs reform - Museveni
Mar 13, 2011
THE Ugandan civil service needs to be reformed, President Yoweri Museveni has said.
By MILTON OLUPOT
THE Ugandan civil service needs to be reformed, President Yoweri Museveni has said.
Museveni said it was important for the civil service to understand the concept of profitability for socio-economic transformation.
“It is bad enough to have a society that does not understand profit and it is a disaster to have a civil service that does not understand what profit is,†Museveni said.
He was speaking during a graduation party of the permanent secretary of the Prime Minister’s office, Pius Bigirimana, at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala.
Bigirimana graduated with a masters degree in business administration from the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) based in Arusha.
The President was flanked by his wife, Janet Museveni, Prime Minister Prof. Apolo Nsibambi and several top government officials.
Museveni also launched a book written by Bigirimana, titled Abundance Mentality.
The book is an autobiography of a barefooted boy who grew up from a beautiful village in Kisoro district and became a permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Museveni said the concept of profit, which is emphasised in the capitalist world and not understood in Africa, was the cause of the failure of African nations to change from least development to developed economies.
“People cannot quantify whether what they are doing is profitable or not. Civil servants should be able to weigh projects and determine which to take depending on their profitability,†he said.
Citing Asian countries like South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, Museveni said Africa had to metamorphosise like an insect.
He said for that to happen, you must have a civil service that understands profit and social economic transformation.
The President accused the civil service of being corrupt and against the private sector.
“When you come with a private project, it is like you are a beggar. They say ‘nfunira wa’, meaning how do I benefit from the deal?
“Somebody cannot support or license a project unless they are bribed. We are going to clean this system. I know there is corruption in the public service, which is obstructing the private sector,†Museveni said.
He praised Bigirimana, saying he had cleaned the Office of the Prime Minister of corruption.
“When I brought Bigirimana to the Prime Minister’s office, I had quarrels with the people there. I looked around and heard that there was somebody in health who was not a thief. That is how i found Bigirimana,†Museveni said.
He praised Bigirimana for pointing out in his autobiography that the civil service had a role to play in creating an atmosphere that would make Uganda attractive to private investment.
The President also thanked Bigirimana for pointing out some of the short comings in the civil service and challenged other civil servants, especially permanent secretaries, to emulate him.
Nsibambi, who was accompanied by his wife, Esther, commended Bigirimana for successfully completing his studies, saying further education was comparable to fresh breath in the lungs.
“Today’s world is one of knowledge and compliance, hence the need for continuous learning,†Nsibambi said.
Bigirimana, accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth, said the accident that he and Nsibambi had on March 8 last year in Bugiri, inspired him to write the autobiography.
He lauded President Museveni for his quest to develop the human resource in Uganda through the free education programmes.
THE Ugandan civil service needs to be reformed, President Yoweri Museveni has said.
Museveni said it was important for the civil service to understand the concept of profitability for socio-economic transformation.
“It is bad enough to have a society that does not understand profit and it is a disaster to have a civil service that does not understand what profit is,†Museveni said.
He was speaking during a graduation party of the permanent secretary of the Prime Minister’s office, Pius Bigirimana, at Sheraton Hotel in Kampala.
Bigirimana graduated with a masters degree in business administration from the Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) based in Arusha.
The President was flanked by his wife, Janet Museveni, Prime Minister Prof. Apolo Nsibambi and several top government officials.
Museveni also launched a book written by Bigirimana, titled Abundance Mentality.
The book is an autobiography of a barefooted boy who grew up from a beautiful village in Kisoro district and became a permanent secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister.
Museveni said the concept of profit, which is emphasised in the capitalist world and not understood in Africa, was the cause of the failure of African nations to change from least development to developed economies.
“People cannot quantify whether what they are doing is profitable or not. Civil servants should be able to weigh projects and determine which to take depending on their profitability,†he said.
Citing Asian countries like South Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, Museveni said Africa had to metamorphosise like an insect.
He said for that to happen, you must have a civil service that understands profit and social economic transformation.
The President accused the civil service of being corrupt and against the private sector.
“When you come with a private project, it is like you are a beggar. They say ‘nfunira wa’, meaning how do I benefit from the deal?
“Somebody cannot support or license a project unless they are bribed. We are going to clean this system. I know there is corruption in the public service, which is obstructing the private sector,†Museveni said.
He praised Bigirimana, saying he had cleaned the Office of the Prime Minister of corruption.
“When I brought Bigirimana to the Prime Minister’s office, I had quarrels with the people there. I looked around and heard that there was somebody in health who was not a thief. That is how i found Bigirimana,†Museveni said.
He praised Bigirimana for pointing out in his autobiography that the civil service had a role to play in creating an atmosphere that would make Uganda attractive to private investment.
The President also thanked Bigirimana for pointing out some of the short comings in the civil service and challenged other civil servants, especially permanent secretaries, to emulate him.
Nsibambi, who was accompanied by his wife, Esther, commended Bigirimana for successfully completing his studies, saying further education was comparable to fresh breath in the lungs.
“Today’s world is one of knowledge and compliance, hence the need for continuous learning,†Nsibambi said.
Bigirimana, accompanied by his wife, Elizabeth, said the accident that he and Nsibambi had on March 8 last year in Bugiri, inspired him to write the autobiography.
He lauded President Museveni for his quest to develop the human resource in Uganda through the free education programmes.