JINJA: The Secretary in the Office of the President, Hajji Yunus Kakande, has warned Resident District Commissioners (RDCs), Resident City Commissioners (RCCs) and other government field officers against indiscipline, urging them to uphold professionalism, respect institutional hierarchy and remain focused on improving public service delivery.
Kakande made the remarks on Monday, August 17, 2026, while opening a three-day capacity-building workshop for RDCs, RCCs, their deputies and assistants, as well as Regional Internal Security Officers (RISOs) and District Internal Security Officers (DISOs) from the Busoga Sub-region.
The workshop is being held at Source of the Nile Hotel in Jinja City.
Kakande said indiscipline undermines government operations and warned officers against conduct that creates conflict, weakens authority and disrupts teamwork.
“Indiscipline will not be accepted in the Presidency. The indiscipline I have seen these days, we shall not allow it. You should respect your elders. Why should you create anarchy?” he said.
He urged the officers to observe punctuality, respect senior leaders and colleagues, and recognise institutional hierarchy as an essential part of effective public administration.
“We must respect our seniors. People no longer respect ministers,” Kakande said.
Drawing on his long experience in public service, he cautioned officers that disregard for authority and colleagues could undermine their careers.
“If you must succeed as individuals, you must respect others. People who have shown no respect for their leaders or colleagues have not survived long,” he said.
Kakande described discipline as a foundation for both career development and effective service to citizens.
“I am speaking as a parent: please be disciplined. You don’t lose anything when you have discipline,” he added.
RDCs Told To Strengthen Project Monitoring
Kakande challenged RDCs and other government representatives to move beyond occupying offices and take an active role in identifying and resolving challenges affecting service delivery.
He said RDCs have a responsibility to monitor government programmes and projects in their areas and ensure that they are implemented according to approved specifications, standards and timelines.
“You are not in these positions merely to occupy office. Identify challenges and provide accurate and timely solutions,” he said.
He urged the officers to scrutinise government projects and establish whether contractors are delivering according to the agreed standards.
“Establish whether the project is being implemented well. Check the specifications and standards. Is the contractor performing as required?” he asked.
Kakande said RDCs should ensure that project validation exercises are genuine and that completed works meet the required quality standards before they are commissioned.
He cited the construction of seed schools as an example of projects that have experienced delays, partly because contractors without adequate capacity were awarded contracts.
“The President gave you powers to oversee government projects, including ensuring that projects meet the required standards before they are opened or commissioned,” he said.
He further urged RDCs to mobilise stakeholders and take corrective action whenever they identify challenges affecting government projects.
Officers Tasked With Protecting Poverty Programmes
Kakande also tasked RDCs, RCCs and security officers with ensuring that government poverty-reduction programmes reach their intended beneficiaries.
He cited the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga as key interventions intended to increase household incomes, create economic opportunities and improve livelihoods.
“Your responsibility is to make sure that the intended beneficiaries and targets are reached,” he said.
He urged the officers to protect government programmes against corruption, diversion of resources and other forms of abuse, including using DISOs to establish how funds allocated to programmes are being utilised.
Kakande also encouraged leaders to use government programmes and other available opportunities to address poverty and unemployment rather than allowing young people to remain idle or overly engaged in politics.
“There is no money for nothing. Young people should desist from politicking. Right now, politics should stop and people should work. They will go back to politics in 2031,” he said.
He said sustainable prosperity would depend on productive work, entrepreneurship, investment and skills development rather than political handouts.
Kakande Challenges Busoga To Embrace High-Value Agriculture
Kakande also challenged leaders and communities in Busoga to exploit the region’s agricultural potential by shifting towards high-value enterprises, particularly coffee production.
He noted that President Yoweri Museveni has set an ambitious national target of producing 20 million bags of coffee annually by 2030.
While acknowledging the importance of sugarcane to the Busoga economy, Kakande argued that farmers could achieve higher returns by diversifying into more profitable enterprises.
“Why don’t you go to coffee for high returns? Coffee farmers in areas like Masaka are prospering. If people with land embrace coffee growing, this country will get richer,” he said.
He cited Brazil as an example of a country that has used agriculture as a major driver of economic development.
Kakande also recalled the movement of Bakiga from Kabale to other parts of Uganda in search of land and economic opportunities, saying their experience demonstrated how communities could transform their livelihoods through productive economic activities.
“In the 1990s, I’m the one who took the Bakiga to Kakumiro where they created opportunities,” he said.
He said Busoga had enormous economic potential and recalled that the sub-region was historically one of Uganda’s most developed areas.
“In the 1960s, Busoga was next to Buganda in terms of development, but now it is a different story,” he said.
Kakande attributed part of Busoga’s earlier economic strength to agricultural production, particularly coffee and groundnuts, and called for a mindset shift towards productive enterprise.
He urged RDCs and other government representatives to work closely with communities to promote socio-economic transformation by turning local skills and resources into employment and income-generating opportunities.
“As leaders, you should be champions for this transformation. Skills, natural resources and industrial resources must be used to create jobs,” he said.
Leaders Urged To Safeguard Peace
Kakande said socio-economic transformation could not be sustained without peace and responsible leadership.
He urged RDCs, RCCs and security officers to maintain close coordination among security structures and remain alert to emerging threats.
“You have to be on the lookout all the time,” he said.
He said Uganda had emerged from an intense political and electoral period and called on government representatives to consolidate peace while shifting attention towards socio-economic transformation.
“We have just come through a period of intense politics and elections. We should now ensure that we maintain peace and security and socio-economic transformation,” he said.
Kakande also commended RDCs and other government representatives for their role during the recent electoral period.
“I thank you for making sure that the government comes back to power. You did a good job,” he said.
He called for concerted efforts to tackle idleness and drug abuse among young people while creating opportunities for them to study, acquire skills and participate productively in society.
Officers Told To Account For Government Resources
The Assistant Commissioner for Finance and Planning at the Office of the President, Hajji Sadat Kisuyi, told the officers that effective planning, monitoring and reporting were essential to ensuring that public resources deliver tangible results.
Kisuyi said government allocates substantial resources each year to provide goods and services to citizens, making accountability and effective monitoring critical at the local level.
“Why that level of transparency? It is to ensure that you are able to monitor whether the resources are well utilised in your respective areas,” he said.
He urged RDCs and other field officers to take responsibility for monitoring government programmes instead of waiting for senior officials to intervene.
“You should do your part. You shouldn’t wait for Hon. Balaam to come unless you are not in charge,” Kisuyi said.
He said government programmes should ultimately translate into measurable improvements in people’s lives, including poverty reduction, sustainable economic growth and improved quality of life.
“They should be able to improve the well-being of the people, reduce poverty, promote sustainable economic growth and improve quality of life. These results shall ultimately lead to a long-term development impact,” he said.
Kisuyi emphasised that effective planning and performance management should follow the entire results chain, from allocation and utilisation of public resources to the delivery of tangible and sustainable benefits to communities.
The three-day workshop is expected to strengthen the capacity of government field officers in planning, monitoring, reporting, security coordination and oversight of government programmes, with emphasis on translating public investments into measurable improvements in citizens’ welfare.
English 