Journalist Musamali Arnold aka Freeman, says prime minister Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja Stinging Minister for Presidency, Hon. Milly Babalanda, over the transfer of RDC's & RCC's is a personal issue, which doesn't call for alarming.
Musamali was responding to PM Nabbanja's letter dated January 20, 2025, addressed to the Minister for the Presidency, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, Rt. Hon. Robinah Nabbanja stated that she had received concerns from RDCs, RCCs, and the general public regarding transfers conducted by the minister for the Presidency that she described as being “irregular,” citing Articles 99 and 203 of the Ugandan Constitution, which vest the power of appointment and transfer solely in the President.
According to Musamali, a senior investigative journalist says PM Nabbanja acted on emotions and false reports.
"We cant rule out that the better performance of the Ministry for the Presidency, led by Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda and her team threatens the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja and other dishonest political leaders"- Musamali said.
What is the work of a minister for Presidency and the Permanent Secretary if at all they can't exercise it? He asked.
According to PM Nabbanja's communication, she stresses that only H.E. the President has the mandate to appoint and transfer RDCs and RCCs, noting that the Minister can only exercise this mandate on delegation by him.
In what way does Nabbanja’s letter turn into a false statement?
1. How come that lamentation is made after RDC Major Matovu refuses to implement her directives based on corrupt tendencies?
2. Is Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, the Minister for Presidency, supposed to update Rt. Hon. Nabbanja on all the delegations that her boss, the president, has sent?
3. When does Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda mean to exercise her ministry duties?
Nabbanja highlighted Article 99 in her letter: Article 99 (3) of the Constitution of the Republic of Uganda vests the Executive Authority in the President and he is responsible for the welfare of the citizens and safeguards the Constitution and Laws of Uganda, among others but it does not talk about under what scenario an RDC is meant to be transferred.
Article 203 of the 1995 Constitution provides for the establishment of the office of the Resident District/City Commissioner and their cardinal roles as seen below but not under which scenario an RDC get transferred;
a) To monitor the implementation of Central and Local Government services in the District.
b) To act as Chairperson of the District Security Committee;
c) To carry out such other functions as may be assigned by the President or prescribed by Parliament by Law and
In addition, Article 71 of the Local Government Act 1997 depicts the functions of the Resident District/City Commissioner as follows;
• Represent the President and the Government services in the district.
• Coordinate Government services in the district.
• Advise the district chairperson on matters of a national nature that may affect the district or its plans or programs and particularly the relations between the district and the Government.
• Monitor and inspect the activities of local governments and, where necessary, advise the chairperson.
• Carry out such other functions as may be assigned by the President or prescribed by Parliament.
These functions are the designed guiding principles of the Office of RDC/RCC, and DRDC/DRCC in their work plans. For example, RDCs must take an interest in learning about all government programs operating in their districts and the funds allotted to them in order to monitor Central and Local Government Projects.
RDCs and RCCs have been at the forefront of fighting corruption in their respective regions and raising awareness of government initiatives like Emyooga and PDM under Minister Babalanda’s regime.
As the NRM Chairman works tirelessly to eradicate corruption, which was part of his agenda when he came to power in 1986 and ranked seventh out of ten (Elimination of corruption and misuse of power), we have witnessed numerous NRM cadres and leaders in a variety of roles encouraging and engaging in corruption to the point of acquiring land for the poor and stealing cheap white iron sheets (Wanainch).
In certain instances, the RDCs’ office plays a crucial role in assisting Wanainchi in receiving fair justice at the bureaucratic level, particularly when it comes to land dispute issues and getting involved in unjust evictions by wealthy and dishonest leaders who petition the office.
Since Ministers Babalanda and Sam Mayanja have been so strict about land grabbing, we should anticipate tough, silent anger from some of these leaders, making this threat number one.
Some ministers do wish to infiltrate corrupt practices in certain RDCs and give them orders to carry them out.
Given that RDCs/RCCs are in charge of district security, some ministers would prefer to have them on their side because of the political pressure we anticipate in 2026 which is not the right method of operation.
It is believed that transfers are another way to maximize the cooperation of dishonest officials in the workplace and promote cooperation and teamwork among staff members from various departments and backgrounds.
The public has also recognized transfers as an effective way to hold unknowns accountable and mould the discipline of RCCs/RDCs. The majority of them work transparently out of concern for hurried transfers and sudden mini-reshuffles.
Last but not least, the prime minister should not demonstrate to the public that ordinary issues are too difficult for her to handle formally by choosing to address them in the media instead of at Cabinet meetings or holding one-on-one talk meetings.
Since the RDC/RCC office is the first district-level anti-corruption office, no dishonest leader would want anything positive for that office and its highest-ranking supervisors, provided that the constitutional guiding principles are adhered to.
The Hon. Minister Babirye Milly Babalanda and her PS, Hajji Yunus Kakande, are commended by Ugandans for bringing the RDC office closer to the community to improve service delivery.
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