Senior management staff retreat ended with a call on all members to inculcate a spirit of patriotism, Promote zero tolerance to corruption; strengthen the government regulatory framework; urgently address the issue of poor service delivery, especially in the areas of health care, Education and feeder roads; and address the problem of absenteeism from schools by teachers and the service in general.
This Minister of Public Service Wilson Muruli Mukasa made this call during the senior staff management retreat at Jinja Civil Service College. He also commended the team for the work done in FY 2017/2018, where several successes were scored.
Firstly was the strengthening of human resource management and development policy framework, improving efficiency and effectiveness in the management of Salary and Pension payroll, improving efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery systems and structures, harmonizing the inspection function by promoting joint inspections using the zonal approach as directed by H.E. the President, enhancing staff productivity through developing and delivering tailor made courses for Public Servants to enhance service delivery, improving efficiency and effectives of performance management systems and lobbying for competitive pay structures, improving Efficiency of Records and Information Management Systems, enforcing development of Gender and Equity Sensitive Client Charters and institutionalization of feedback mechanisms.
The Permanent Secretary during her key note highlighted key milestones and challenges; In the last five years, progress has been registered in the public sector reforms and improved coordination including: the rollout of performance contracts for top civil servants and Heads of Departments; operationalisation of Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPS) across MDAs and LGs; Identification of capacity gaps and technical guidance to District Service Commissions (DSCs) by the Public Service Commission; the National Government Evaluation Facility; output-based budgeting which enabled MDAs and LGs to plan and budget against the provision of products and services, and quarterly reporting on spending and progress towards stated output targets as a basis for financial releases. The Sector, however, is still constrained by various issues such as ineffective implementation of a number of public service sector reforms, corruption, low motivation and remuneration, inability to retain personnel in hard to reach areas, limited citizen participation and engagement in policy processes amongst many others.
Besides, resolutions were reached to push forward the Ministry mandate which included; in line with the retreat theme of a “unified team with a client centered culture,”
- There is need for the ministry to come up with priorities, strategies and work methods that can reform and rebuilt the public service concurrently and organize retreats to brain storm on these recommendations.
- The balance score card should be piloted within the ministry of public service before other MDAs to build internal capacity
- A central repository for historical ministry publications in both soft and hard copies should be established
- In addition to performance statistics for the just concluded FY, the report should have captured performance statistics for previous financial years and a trend analysis undertaken
- Fast track establishment of a robust information database.
- Policy and planning department should liaise with MSD to develop an indicator for measuring the performance of SUC reforms and have it integrated in the PBS
- The scope of the thematic areas covered should be expanded to include: the stock of skills Vis and the gaps and a trend analysis, The public service unification principles pointed out in the minister’s remarks Current status should be established and progress tracked.
Among others for details refer to Minister’s speech, Permanent Secretary Key note Address and Action Resolution Matrix……………….