District officials warned against skipping meetings

Oct 20, 2018

The objective of the meeting was to discuss government policies and interventions made in improving health service delivery

The permanent secretary of the local government ministry, Ben Kumumanya, has warned district health and education officers against skipping important meetings or else disciplinary action will be taken against them.

Kumumanya sounded the warning after he was angered by the empty seats in the afternoon session of a meeting the ministry called for district health officers (DHOs) and district education officers (DEOs) in Kampala.

The meeting was sponsored by Governance, Accountability, Participation and Performance (GAPP) funded by USAID and UKaid and implemented by RTI international.

The objective of the meeting was to discuss government policies and interventions made in improving health service delivery and promotion of quality education in the country.

"You walk in the streets of Kampala with your heads high and you say you have come to attend a meeting in Kampala yet you are paid by government. How can you leave Bududa and go back without staying up to the end of the meeting?" Kumumanya asked.

"I am sending a warning to you and this is a moral question and disciplinary action will be taken against you," he added.

During the meeting there were 82 DEOs and 72 DHOs present in the morning session but in the afternoon half of the participants left and this is what irked Kumumanya.

Regarding low literacy rates in primary schools, Kumumanya wondered why pupils of present times are not able to read and write and recalled in his days of schooling in rural Ntugamo pupils then were able to write and read and that is why he was able to make it up to the university and appointed as accounting officer in the ministry of local government.

According to available report by the Prime Minister Delivery Unit (PMDU) the literacy rate in 22 districts sampled is at 40%.

 cross section of participants at the meeting hoto by rancis morutA cross section of participants at the meeting. Photo by Francis Emorut

 

"We need to go back to the drawing board and find out what went wrong and find the solution," Kumumanya suggested.

He told the participants that there is need to correct what went wrong.

"Let us correct whatever went wrong. If its methodology or policies let us find the solution," he said.

During the meeting, the health and education officials raised issues such are poor remuneration, drugs stock-outs, lacking of staff houses, inadequate budget, vacant positions not filled, conflicting policies and strategies by the central government and others as factors that have crippled service delivery at the local levels.

Dr Diana Atwiine, the health ministry permanent secretary, pointed out that the population has increased but the health infrastructure has remained the same.

"The demand for health services has increased with the growing population but the structures have remained the same," Atwiine told participants.

According to information available with government, the district officials are accused for absenteeism, having poor attitude towards work and lack of team work and lack of accountability as some of the factors that affected service delivery among others.

Meanwhile, the district officials heckled/booed Kumumanya when he appealed to them to provide solutions to improve service delivery in the two sectors (education and health) without entertaining their questions.

The participants retorted that the two ministries should listen to their problems and address them.

"Is this the way you and going to manage us?" one participant asked, drawing applause from fellow participants.

Another district official asked: "Are you going to suppress us?" drawing applause from fellow participants.

Some of the queries were that some schools open at 10am and close at 12pm and perpetual absenteeism by health workers and teachers in health centres and schools respectively. 

Dr Enid Mbabazi, team leader health at the Office of Prime Minister attributed poor attitude to work by both health workers and teachers to poor pay and poor working environment stressing that this needs to be addressed.

Eva Mulema, the chief of party RTI International, appealed to the district health and education officials to improve service delivery since they were the gatekeepers in the districts they serve in.

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