Views: 25
Hoima District, Bunyoro Sub-region | The Ugandan government has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering quality education and strengthening public service delivery in Hoima District through active monitoring and policy enforcement. This comes as Senior Presidential Advisor on Mobilization, Lt Col (Rtd) Ambako Kibrai, convened a high-level stakeholders’ meeting in the district as part of the ongoing monitoring exercise led by the Resident District Commissioners (RDC) Secretariat and the Anti-Corruption Unit from the Office of the President.
The initiative, currently covering the Bunyoro Sub-region, is focused on assessing the implementation and on-the-ground impact of key government projects, with particular attention to education, healthcare, and accountability in public institutions.
Tackling Hidden Charges and Enforcing Free Schooling , Lt Col (Rtd) Kibrai raised alarm over unauthorized surcharges in public schools, which continue to burden parents despite the government’s policy on free education.
“The issue of surcharges in schools is a major concern. School fees become unreasonably high when additional charges are imposed, which contradicts the government’s education policy,” he stated.
Under Uganda’s Universal Primary Education (UPE) and Universal Secondary Education (USE) policies, public education is officially free, with the government covering costs for tuition, equipment, and facilities. The only obligation left to parents is feeding their children.
However, many schools continue to introduce extra fees under various pretexts, including “development fees,” “examination fees,” or “maintenance costs” — practices that Lt Col (Rtd) Kibrai condemned as contradictory to national policy and harmful to access and equity.
Statistics from the Ministry of Education and Sports (2024) indicate that, Enrolment rates have increased nationally, with over 9.2 million learners in primary schools and 1.4 million in secondary schools, thanks to free education.
However, dropout rates remain high, particularly in rural districts like Hoima, where up to 35% of enrolled learners fail to complete the full education cycle, often due to hidden school costs.
In addition to education, Kibrai addressed persistent issues in healthcare delivery. He noted that while Primary Health Care (PHC) programs provide essential education on nutrition, hygiene, and disease prevention, gaps remain in clinical care and medical supplies.
“Medicines are supplied to health facilities, but stock shortages do occur. When patients arrive and find medicines out of stock, their treatment forms are marked ‘O/S’ (Out of Stock) without explanation,” he explained.
This lack of accountability not only compromises service delivery but also fuels public frustration and weakens trust in government systems.
According to data from the Health Management Information System (HMIS 2024):
Essential medicine stock-outs in public health centres occur in 22% of quarterly reporting cycles.
Hoima District, in particular, recorded a 28% stock-out rate in the past two quarters, affecting access to malaria drugs, antibiotics, and maternal health supplies.
The monitoring meeting also emphasized the importance of inter-sectoral collaboration, community engagement, and leadership accountability to improve service delivery outcomes.
“Our goal is to ensure that government projects translate into real benefits for citizens. This requires transparency, proper supervision, and above all, partnership between local leaders, citizens, and the central government,” Lt Col (Rtd) Kibrai noted.
Leaders from Hoima District welcomed the government’s intervention and pledged to work closely with the Office of the President to enforce education policy, monitor health facility performance, and curb corruption at the local level.
The RDC Secretariat and State House Anti-Corruption Unit have in recent years intensified monitoring visits and citizen engagement across Uganda to track service delivery, combat corruption, and support implementation of the National Development Plan III (NDP III).
The exercise in the Bunyoro Sub-region, including Hoima, is part of a broader campaign to bridge the gap between policy and impact—especially in underserved communities.
As the government continues to invest in public education and health, enforcing policies and eliminating systemic inefficiencies remain central to delivering on Uganda’s Vision 2040 agenda of inclusive and equitable socio-economic development.