Aleptong MP Sam Okwir Odwee Decries Duplication of Projects Across Ministries
Aleptong Member of Parliament, Sam Okwir Odwee, has raised concerns over the duplication of projects by various government ministries, urging a more streamlined approach to resource allocation. During a parliamentary budget committee meeting, Okwir emphasized the need for sectoral ministries to handle projects within their areas of expertise.
Okwir, a member of the parliamentary committee on budget, highlighted instances where multiple ministries, such as Agriculture, Works, and Energy, proposed overlapping projects like dam construction. He questioned why such initiatives were not left to the respective “mother ministries” with the requisite expertise.
Citing specific examples, he pointed out that the Ministry of Local Government had requested 21.9 billion Ugandan shillings for road activities in newly created town councils, despite the Ministry of Works being better equipped to handle such projects. He also noted the exclusion of town councils from road fund allocations, further complicating the budgeting process.
“The Ministry of Water wants to construct dams, the Ministry of Agriculture wants to construct dams, and the Ministry of Works is doing the same. Where do we have the expertise? We need to align resources and let each ministry focus on its core mandate,” He stated.
He expressed frustration over the inefficiencies caused by this duplication, including varying unit costs for similar projects across ministries. Okui called for rationalization, urging the government to align activities with the expertise of respective ministries to avoid wastage of resources.
Drawing comparisons with neighboring Tanzania, Okui remarked, “In Tanzania, this cannot happen. Activities are aligned with the ministries with the technical expertise. We need to adopt a similar approach to ensure efficiency and accountability.”
Okui’s remarks come amid the ongoing Presentation to the budget Committee on the allocations by the respective Committee Chairpersons.
He said there is a need for better coordination among government entities. His call for rationalization underscores the importance of addressing systemic inefficiencies to enhance service delivery and optimize resource utilization.
