Improving Government Effectiveness in Service Delivery

In order to re-focus public service efforts for delivery of quality outputs there is need to reduce wastage, laxity, and limited responsiveness. The following actions are to be undertaken:-

1. Effect cuts of 50 percent on advertising budgets for all Ministries and Agencies;
2. Effect cuts of 30% on the budget for allowances, workshops and seminars, travel inland and abroad, fuel and vehicle maintenance, printing and stationary, welfare and entertainment, books, periodicals and newspapers, special meals and the purchase of furniture for selected Ministries and Agencies; and
3. Freeze the purchase of Government vehicles, except for critical areas such as hospitals, police and the security services.
4. Conduct an immediate forensic audit of Government salaries, wages and pensions to establish credibility.

An estimated Shs. 40 billion has been raised from the above measures and will be allocated to service delivery infrastructure.

In addition, the following measures will be implemented, in collaboration with the ministries of Public Service, Works and Transport and the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets (PPDA) Authority to improve service delivery:-

1. Hold Accounting Officers, including Chief Administrative Officers personally responsible for the delivery of performance targets, once funding has been made available to them.
2. Implement performance contracts for top civil servants up to the level of Heads of Departments to strengthen performance management and enhance transparency and accountability;
3. Enforce use of unit costing for all government procurement, against which mis-procurement will occur if reserve prices are not met; and
4. Enforce use of government-procured equipment in the maintenance of national district and community access roads, with operational financing from the Uganda Road Fund and Uganda National Road Authority. Any waivers to use private sector contractors will first have to be approved by the Treasury.