The Minister of Public Service, Hon. Wilson Muruli Mukasa has urged Undersecretaries to always be responsive to the needs of the citizens and the government.
He said as leaders, they should commit themselves that they are going to serve more and make sure that in whatever they are doing, the citizens are at the center.
“If you do that, we shall see productivity and effectiveness in the country,”he said.
The Minister made the remarks on Friday 24th January, 2025 during the pass-out of Under Secretaries from all the government ministries, who have been undergoing a 3- week strategic leadership and management training at the National Leadership Institute (NALI), Kyankwanzi.
During the training, the Undersecretaries were taken through a series of modules such as public policy management, financial management, government business, assets and infrastructure management and general public administration, among others.
Hon. Muruli also urged the Undersecretaries to work with other stakeholders to promote national development. He said they should do this by effectively offering their services to the nation.
“While doing this, the myopic lense of sectarianism should not be used but use the national lense that even addresses the bigger region of East Africa.”
Additionally, the Minister thanked NALI for working with the Ministry of Public Service and the Office of the President to ensure the success of the training.
The Secretary-Office of the President, Hajji Yunus Kakande informed the Undersecretaries that proper planning is very crucial in the effective running of an organization.
“Planning is important in every organization, even at home, if you fail to plan at home, you cannot manage it. When you are planning, you have to prioritize needs for the effective management of an institution,” he said.
The Secretary Office of the President also urged the Undersecretaries to take keen interest in procurement and know how its done in order to overcome challenges like delays and leakages.
“Procurement in every ministry takes two-thirds of the money you receive in your respective ministries but how are you managing? You are supposed to reorganize to ensure that we don’t have delays in procurement,” he said.
“You should know how to make expenditures and probably to make revenues if you are required to. How do you ensure that there are no leakages? You have to be strategic in everything you are doing.”
Hajji Kakande further highlighted the qualities of an effective Undersecretary that could help him/her to fulfil their core mandate.
“You should have strong leadership skills, be decisive, have good ethical conduct, effective communication, good listening skills and be transparent,” he said.
“You must as well have a strategic vision and be able to plan and implement policies. You must be able to implement policies. In Uganda planning is good but implementation is lacking and it’s you the Under Secretaries who are supposed to spearhead the implementation.”
He also urged the Undersecretaries to be accountable to the public for effective service delivery.
“You are the chief executives of the government so help our country to develop.”
Hajji Kakande also tipped the Undersecretaries on how to effectively organize public functions like the National Independence Day in order to ensure efficiency and effectiveness.
“I started organizing National functions in 1989 and they have been colorful. Sometimes when you are organising a national event, you have to be very strict,” he emphasized.
“Don’t do things haphazardly. National functions are very delicate, if not well handled, they can land you in trouble.”
The Director of NALI, Col. Okei Rukogota informed the Minister that the Undersecretaries were a special and exceptional intake who were trained to the expectation of the training facility.
“I was guided by the Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet to make sure that they stay on course while here but I didn’t have to spend sleepless nights over that because they were eager to train and it will remain a team to remember. We thank you for your resilience and patience,” he said.
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