UPC urges government to restore destroyed agencies to improve service delivery

3 April 2025, 1:31 pm

By Ronald Ssemagonja

The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) party, through its spokesperson Sharon Arach Oyat, has appealed to the government to find ways of restoring its agencies to improve service delivery to citizens. Speaking to journalists at the party headquarters in Kampala, Arach stressed the importance of this initiative.

“We call on the government, just as it has done with Uganda Airlines, Uganda Railways Corporation, etc., to extend the same efforts to other government agencies,” she said.

“In the past, being a farmer meant you were among the wealthiest people in the country. However, today, farmers are among the poorest because the cost of farming has skyrocketed. Without middlemen, they struggle to sell their produce and generate income. The sale of government institutions has significantly weakened the country’s economy, particularly affecting farmers. Everything is now dictated by foreign markets,” she emphasised.

The party further stated that the National Resistance Movement (NRM) government has worsened the economic situation by allowing middlemen to exploit ordinary citizens.

“The NRM government dismantled structures that once protected farmers, leaving the sale of goods and services in the hands of intermediaries. As a result, the benefits no longer reach the farmers but instead enrich middlemen. Without the necessary infrastructure, farmers are forced to sell their produce directly from their yards at extremely low prices, making minimal profits,” Arach said.

The Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) used the occasion to urge Ugandans to give Uganda Electricity Distribution Company Limited (UEDCL) the benefit of the doubt rather than criticising it, as it has only recently taken over electricity distribution from Umeme Limited. However, the party also appealed to UEDCL to ensure that power is distributed to every part of the country.

“Let us give UEDCL the benefit of the doubt and see what they can do. We urge the government to continue reducing tariffs because electricity is generated here, and we even sell to some of our neighbours, meaning we have enough supply. Therefore, we should lower the costs. Uganda Shillings 1,000 per unit is still too high,” said Faizo Muzeyi, the party’s head of communications.