The RDCs and intelligence officers have been assigned the task of monitoring and evaluating the implementation of government programs, while also focusing on reorienting the youth in preparation for the upcoming elections in January 2026.
Hajji Yunus Kakande, the Permanent Secretary in the office of the President, highlighted the challenge faced by the National Resistance Movement – NRM in the Central Region, where a significant portion of the population consists of youth who require immediate mobilization from the grassroots level.
“It’s upon you to talk to the youth because they are the ones who support the opposition more. Orient them about the development which is being steered by the ruling government”, said Kakande.
Kakande made the remarks while officiating at the two days Capacity Building Workshop of Resident District Commissioners/Resident City Commissioners and their Deputies, District Internal Security Officers and Regional Internal Security Officers from Central Region in Mukono.
He explained that in the 2021 elections, the opposition received the majority of the votes from the location where he cast his vote. However, while waiting in line, Kakande, who was the only elderly person among the majority of young people, was reportedly mocked for not being on their side (opposition) due to his appearance of old age.
Hajji Kakande urged the RDCs and DISOs to identify areas where the government is lacking in its performance as an institution and ensure that services are delivered on time. He expressed that the longer the NRM government, particularly under Museveni’s leadership, remains in power, the better it is for the country.
The Permanent Secretary emphasized the need to educate the general public about government programs aimed at development, such as the Parish Development Model, as well as the progress made in implementing the NRM Manifesto, among other initiatives.
“As RDCs it’s high time you stayed on the ground and very soon we are going to get you “lieutenants” to help on the ground to mobilize and sensitize people about the programs of the government like the Parish Development Model (PDM) and Emyooga,” said Kakande.
He said where they see corrupt individuals and anyone who wants to fail the government programs, they should report with evidence to the Criminal Investigations Department of Police or Inspector General of Government rather than writing to Intelligence reports where no action has been taken.
The message to RDCs and Intelligence Officers creates contradictions as the public expects them to be like soldiers and the police mandated to serve the state, not political parties or individuals.
Former Vice President, Dr Specioza Wandira Kazibwe who made a presentation on Population Health and Wellness appealed to RDCs to understand what they are doing and to respect one another while executing their duties.
She explained that security men need to translate what they are doing at their places of work to the language the people understand or else they will keep clapping hands at them at events but nothing will change.
Dr. Wandira Kazibwe advised men to desist from polygamy saying that she did Research on sexual psychology which nobody was willing to supervise but found that men who have many women cannot satisfy any of them.
Kazibwe said sex is good for their mental health. She further gave them wellness tips that they need to practice if they are to live longer.
Dr. Wandira Kazibwe who is the Special Presidential Advisor on Population Health suggested that the government must shift from health systems designed around disease and institutions towards health systems designed for people with the people.
“The government at all levels must underscore the importance of action beyond the health sector to pursue a whole of government approach to health, including health-in-all-policies and a strong focus on equity and interventions that encompasses the entire life course,” she said.
The head of the RDC Secretariat, Maj. Martha Asiimwe noted the Secretariat will continue to guide the commissioners so that they rightly execute their roles.
“The conversation is very important between the people you work with and those you lead. We can at times discuss challenges one on one, they must be handled as they arise. We should not wait for an opportunity like this one because we may not be able to resolve the challenges impeding our performance,” said Asiimwe.
The Dean of RDC Justine Mbabazi has described some of their challenges. Those included being denied airtime(space ) in some media platforms to communicate government programs, infighting by RDCs whereby the seniors are fighting with their Deputies, and the NRM members being divided.
Based on the results from the Electoral Commission, Museveni obtained 5.8 million votes out of the total 9.9 million votes cast, while his closest competitor, Robert Kyagulanyi, who ran on the NUP ticket, received 3.4 million votes. The data also reveals that NRM only received a meagre 35 percent of the votes in the central region, whereas Kyagulanyi secured 62.01 percent.
