Summary:
- Obua defended the special provisions for UCDA and NITA-U, citing the need to address UCDA’s international accreditation concerns and NITA-U’s ongoing infrastructure projects funded by World Bank and Chinese government loans.
KAMPALA: National Resistance Movement (NRM) Members of Parliament have agreed to support all 16 rationalization bills as demanded by President Museveni, granting only the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (UCDA) and the National Information Technology Authority Uganda (NITA-U) special three-year transition periods.
Government Chief Whip Hamson Obua announced the decision during a press briefing at Parliament on Friday, disappointing staff from the affected agencies who had hoped for a reprieve.
“NRM MPs have agreed to pass all the rationalization bills, providing a three-year transitional period for UCDA and NITA-U. All other agencies will be fully rationalized without exceptions,” Obua said. “The question remains, why not the Dairy Development Authority (DDA)? I think that’s a done deal.”
Obua defended the special provisions for UCDA and NITA-U, citing the need to address UCDA’s international accreditation concerns and NITA-U’s ongoing infrastructure projects funded by World Bank and Chinese government loans.
“UCDA is handling international accreditation, and given the strategic importance of coffee to Uganda, it needs time to prepare the Ministry of Agriculture for the transition. For NITA-U, they are implementing two key projects funded by loans, and it’s crucial these projects are completed before the agency is fully rationalized,” Obua explained.
Obua emphasized the importance of a smooth transition, recalling past challenges when ongoing projects were disrupted due to abrupt changes, as seen with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA). “We want to avoid such risks,” he noted, adding that once the three years are up, UCDA and NITA-U will also be fully rationalized.
Obua highlighted coffee’s strategic importance at national, regional, and international levels, driven by high global demand. “Rationalization aims to make the government leaner and avoid duplication of efforts. A new department under the Ministry of Agriculture will manage strategic crops like coffee, with international accreditation, which requires time. The transitional period will allow the ministry to reorganize itself accordingly,” Obua stated.
Regarding staff in the affected agencies, Obua assured that experts would be absorbed into relevant ministries. “We’re not saying experts from UCDA or any other government entity will be let go. Instead, they will be integrated into newly created departments within the ministries, eliminating the need for autonomous bodies with separate boards and structures,” he clarified.
