Kabale District has emerged as Uganda’s best-performing district in the 2025/2026 Health Sector Performance Assessment, scoring 91.4 per cent in the latest rankings released the Ministry of Health’s Joint Review Mission (JRM), currently underway at Speke resort Convention Center.
The achievement marks a significant turnaround for the district, which rose from position 15 in the 2023/2024 assessment to 21st in 2024/2025 before claiming the top position nationally.
The latest performance reflects improvements in health service delivery, coordination, accountability and management of health facilities across the district.
According to the assessment, the rankings are based on several indicators, including health sector coordination, human resource management, availability of essential medicines, reporting systems and utilisation of health services.
The assessment also considers maternal and child health indicators such as antenatal care attendance, deliveries in health facilities and immunisation coverage.
Bushenyi District followed closely in second position with 91.3 per cent, while Kiruhura came third with 90.3 per cent. Bundibugyo secured fourth position with 89.3 per cent, followed by fellow Kigezi district Rubanda with 88.9 per cent.
The results indicate strong health sector performance in Western Uganda, with four districts from the region featuring among the country’s five best performers.
Top five best-performing districts
- Kabale – 91.4 per cent
- Bushenyi – 91.3 per cent
- Kiruhura – 90.3 per cent
- Bundibugyo – 89.3 per cent
- Rubanda – 88.9 per cent
Meanwhile, the assessment highlights persistent performance gaps among some districts, with Karenga emerging as the lowest-ranked local government at position 146 with 51.9 per cent.
Nakasongola ranked 145th with 53.5 per cent, while Butebo, Gomba and Kalangala occupied positions 144, 143 and 142 with 60 per cent, 62 per cent and 64.9 per cent, respectively.
Karenga’s performance represents a further decline from position 96 in the 2023/2024 assessment, while Nakasongola has also dropped from position 120 to 145 over the same period.
The findings point to the need for targeted government interventions to address geographical, logistical and resource-related challenges affecting health service delivery in poorly performing districts.
For Kabale, the top ranking is a boost to district leaders and health workers, but also presents the challenge of sustaining the gains through continued investment in health infrastructure, staff motivation, accountability, essential medicines and access to quality healthcare.
