Minister for the Presidency, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, has challenged Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and other presidential representatives to make effective service delivery and tangible results their strongest response to political criticism.
“You represent Government at the district and community level and through your work, citizens form an impression of the Government and ultimately of the Presidency,” Hon. Babalanda said.
She made the remarks on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, while closing a three-day capacity-building workshop for RDCs, Deputy RDCs, Assistant RDCs, Regional Internal Security Officers (RISOs) and District Internal Security Officers (DISOs) from the Busoga Sub-region at Source of the Nile Hotel in Jinja City.
Hon. Babalanda urged the Commissioners to move beyond office-based administration and spend more time in communities monitoring government projects, identifying challenges, protecting public resources and ensuring that services reach their intended beneficiaries.
She described monitoring as one of the most important responsibilities of the RDC structure and cautioned officers against attempting to supervise government programmes from their offices.
She directed them to physically visit projects, establish facts and interact with communities to determine whether government interventions are delivering the intended results.
According to Hon. Babalanda, officers should establish whether projects are progressing according to plan, whether public funds and other resources are being properly utilised, whether contractors and implementing agencies are fulfilling their obligations and whether intended beneficiaries are receiving the services for which the Government has provided resources.
She said monitoring should not end with field visits or the production of reports.
Instead, the Commissioners should identify the causes of problems, establish the institutions or individuals responsible, communicate through the appropriate channels and follow up until corrective action is taken.
Hon. Babalanda also encouraged officers to document successful government projects and interventions so that achievements can be properly recognised.
She said the RDC structure must move away from monitoring for the sake of reporting and instead adopt a results-oriented approach focused on accountability, corrective action and measurable improvements.
Fight corruption responsibly:
The Minister urged the officers to take a firm stand against corruption, misuse of public resources and abuse of office.
She said RDCs and their counterparts have a responsibility to protect government programmes and assets from diversion, manipulation, negligence and personal interests.
However, she cautioned them against making unsubstantiated accusations or using their monitoring responsibilities to settle personal disputes.
“The fight against corruption must be conducted responsibly. Let the evidence speak, follow due process and ensure that your actions are guided by the law and the established mandates of the relevant institutions,” she said.
Hon. Babalanda called for stronger cooperation among RDCs, Deputy RDCs, Assistant RDCs, security officers, local government structures and technical departments.
She said although the various government actors have different responsibilities, they are part of one government system and must work together rather than compete with or undermine one another.
“The people of Uganda are not interested in internal disagreements within Government offices. They expect the Government to work,” she said.
She urged officers to resolve institutional differences professionally and ensure that disagreements do not interfere with service delivery.
Hon. Babalanda also addressed the political environment in which the participants operate, warning them against being distracted by political propaganda, rumours and public debates.
She noted that opposition leaders and other political actors would continue making statements intended to influence public opinion, but government officers should remain focused on their official responsibilities.
“Your most effective response is performance,” she said.
She cited functioning health facilities, properly implemented roads, successful government programmes, protection of public resources and peaceful communities as some of the clearest demonstrations of government performance.
Hon. Babalanda further urged the officers to remain professional, factual and measured in their public engagements and to avoid using their offices for partisan political activities.
The Minister issued a strong warning against indiscipline within the RDC structure, saying officers serving under the Office of the President must understand that their conduct directly affects public confidence in the Presidency.
“Indiscipline within the RDC structure will not be tolerated,” she said.
She explained that members of the public may not distinguish between individual officers and the institution they represent. As a result, the conduct of an RDC, Deputy RDC, Assistant RDC, RISO or DISO can either strengthen or damage public confidence in Government.
Hon. Babalanda also discouraged officers from spending time speculating about appointments and transfers, reminding them that such decisions are made by competent authorities.
Instead, she urged them to concentrate on fulfilling the responsibilities attached to their current positions.
“Public office is a responsibility entrusted to you for service; it is not a personal entitlement,” she said.
Migereko urges RDCs to promote four-acre model:
Uganda Railway Corporation (URC) Board Chairperson and former Energy Minister, Hon. Daudi Migereko, also urged RDCs in Busoga to take the lead in promoting the Government’s four-acre model as a strategy for fighting poverty and unemployment.
Hon. Migereko commended the participants for what he described as their “wonderful job” in supporting the Government during the 2026 General Elections, saying their efforts contributed to the overwhelming support for President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and the National Resistance Movement (NRM).
“You people, you did a very wonderful job. People voted for the President and the NRM overwhelmingly. I know you are non-partisan, but you did a very good job,” Hon. Migereko said.
He, however, urged the leaders to shift their focus from political mobilisation to economic transformation, particularly wealth creation and poverty reduction.
“Now this is the time to talk about wealth creation. Every day I hear His Excellency the President talk about wealth,” he said.
Hon. Migereko noted that President Museveni has consistently encouraged Ugandans to participate in the four sectors of the economy, particularly commercial agriculture, under which the four-acre model is being promoted.
He said the model is particularly relevant to Busoga because of limited land holdings and the low returns associated with growing sugarcane on small plots.
For farmers with limited land, Hon. Migereko said the focus should be on high-value crops and enterprises capable of generating higher returns rather than relying solely on sugarcane.
“If the four-acre model is to take off, the timing is now. It is also in the National Development Plan,” he said.
He challenged RDCs and other government representatives to mobilise communities to embrace the model, warning that their leadership would be judged by its success or failure.
“If the four-acre model succeeds or fails to succeed, it is you to blame as RDCs,” Hon. Migereko said.
He proposed the establishment of a special desk in Busoga dedicated to promoting the four-acre model and coordinating efforts to address poverty in the sub-region.
“It is high time that we went back and created a special desk for the four-acre model initiative in Busoga. We should reflect on that matter of popularising this model,” he said.
Hon. Migereko urged the leaders to lead by example by establishing demonstration farms based on the four-acre model in their respective areas, saying such projects would help communities appreciate the economic benefits of the initiative.
Hon. Migereko expressed concern over Uganda’s growing dependence on imported food, particularly from Tanzania, saying Busoga and other regions should increase local production to strengthen food security and household incomes.
“You are leaders and you are allowing people to depend on imported food supplies? In the past, other countries used to depend on Uganda for food supplies, but now it is the other way round,” he said.
He called on local leaders to develop clear production and wealth-creation plans tailored to the needs and resources of their respective areas.
Hon. Migereko also highlighted the potential of irrigation in transforming agriculture in Busoga, noting that the government had provided resources to support irrigation but some districts failed to utilise the funds and instead returned them to the Treasury.
He said effective utilisation of irrigation funding would be critical to the success of the four-acre model, adding that one of its key components had already received government support.
“The four-acre model will succeed if only we are able to utilise the irrigation money. One component for the four-acre model has already been facilitated,” he said.
On fisheries, Hon. Migereko assured participants that the government was working on measures to support farmers to establish fish ponds as part of efforts to promote aquaculture and strengthen the fisheries sector in the sub-region.
Hon. Migereko, who previously served as Minister of Lands and Energy and as Chairperson of the Uganda Tourism Board, said poverty remains a challenge that can be addressed if government programmes are effectively implemented at community level.
“Poverty is a problem that we can handle. During this term of office, this should be our focus. If we don’t do so, we shall be in trouble. We need a locally initiated programme for our poverty-stricken area,” he said.
He urged the RDCs, RCCs and security officers to use their positions to ensure that government programmes translate into tangible improvements in household incomes and livelihoods across Busoga.
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