By Marvin Ocol

The Manifesto Implementation Unit (MIU) of the Office of the Presidency has finalized plans to automate the manifesto implementation tracking framework.

According to Willis Bashaasha, the Director MIU, the new system was developed by MIU to increase efficiency in the monitoring and validation of the manifesto commitments which government made to Ugandans through the NRM presidential candidate in the 2021-2026 manifesto.

While addressing manifesto focal persons from the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) across the country, Bashaasha reiterated the need to track and monitor progress of all government programmes promised to Ugandans. These technocrats who were seconded to MIU by their respective MDAs to help track the progress of the 2021-2026 manifesto implementation progress were hosted by MIU for a consultative meeting at the Ministry of Presidency’s Cabinet Library Thursday. Bashaasha urged them to execute their duty with distinction so as to enable government to effectively and efficiently deliver its promises to Ugandans in this political term.  

“Our core mandate is to ensure that the porogrames laid down in the manifesto are implemented because that’s the spirit of the service delivery agenda. I therefore urge all of you as focal persons to play your roles in tracking the implementation of government commitments through your different MDAs,” Bashaasha said.

The manifesto implementation tracking framework consists of a Monitoring & Evaluation/tracking matrix which was designed by MIU and sent to the various MDAs through the manifesto focal persons who are all aligned to the planning departments.

The matrix requires the selected technocrats to populate it with percentages of programmes completed as well as their corresponding cost implications.

According to Bashaasha, the framework is aligned to the programe based budgeting approach as provided by the National Planning Authority (NPA).  

To improve efficiency and transparency in reporting, the framework will be automated by the National Information Technology Authority of Uganda (NITA-U), whose IT specialists attended the workshop to take the focal persons through the digital designs of the framework.

“Once the automation is completed, the framework will be accessed and used by anyone from anywhere, including on phone. This will enable timely reporting and information flow,” Bashaasha said.

The consultative meeting was commissioned by the Office of the Presidency Permanent Secretary, Hajji Yunus Kakande, who urged the focal persons to be devoted to their work.

“We understand that you may encounter some challenges in the course of your work. However, you must know that this is a call for you to display patriotism by helping the government extend its services and mandate to the citizens of this country,” he said.

At the meeting, the focal persons were given a chance to forward suggestions on how the tracking mechanism can be strengthened further to erase any obstacles so as to facilitate their reporting duties which will be required of them on a quarterly basis.