NRM failing to implement 2021-2026 manifesto – internal audit

Two years to the end of their political term, the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM) has only managed to implement 35 per cent of its 2021-2026 manifesto commitments to Ugandans according to an internal performance audit.

The 2021-2026 manifesto which is subdivided into five thematic areas, has up to 577 implementation interventions the party ought to implement, for it to deliver its promise to the Ugandans that gave it the five-year mandate according to the Electoral Commission.

The thematic area subdivisions include; creating jobs and wealth for all Ugandans, delivering education, health, and water. It also sought to ensure justice and equity, protection of life and property, and achieving economic and political integration.

Now the review points out that achieving economic and political integration, followed by ensuring justice and equity were the worst-performing areas with 20 and 22 per cent respectively. On the other hand, protection of life and property scored highly at 37 per cent.

Kabuye Ky’ofatogabye, state minister for Kampala and Metropolitan Affairs, said the performance review should be taken positively by the party members because it’s just a mechanism that is realigning them back to their promise to Ugandans. 

“This review should be taken and looked at in a positive manner because they are trying to check on us, and they are helping us realign ourselves back to the lane or the right course. Do not argue, only appreciate and then maybe supplement with additional information which the team might have left out during the research process,” he stated.

Kabuye adds that though the performance is not that good, as party members, they should popularize what has so far been achieved, by packaging the information in a way that suits the current generation, such that the population can also appreciate the same, and this is the only way the party will beat the opposition in the upcoming coming elections.

“This review has given us confidence that we’re on course to realise the manifesto and attain high performance on the implementation of our committees. I will be happy to read that out of the four thematic areas if three we achieve 100% then we would have regained back the confidence our people had in us especially here. And if you’re coming from this area like me, we must wake up or else we’re losing the bird we had in our hand. I therefore implore all of you the concerned stakeholders at technical level to continue implementing to achieve the manifesto commitment 2021-2026 since now we’re starting commitments for 2026-2031,” he said.

According to the minister, the review is an assurance that the party is on course to achieving its manifesto, adding that it should also act as a wake-up call to the implementers, especially the different ministry permanent secretaries.

Wilson Basasha, director of the manifesto implementation unit in the Office of the President, revealed that the permanent secretaries who are leading implementers of the document have been invited twice to the launch and the validation, such that they can also understand how they are faring on the ground, but none has turned up on both occasions.

He affirmed that as a unit they will not shy away from disseminating what is transpiring on the ground, because that’s what they are called, and it’s the right thing to do for the good of the party. According to Basasha, since the manifesto is an output document, the research mainly used assessment tools. He adds they at the manifesto unit, their major purpose is to weed and disseminate.

This unpleasant performance of the party over its commitments has been largely attributed to the high levels of corruption, the low resources envelope to fund the interventions, the lack of prioritization of the manifesto commitments in the various MDA’s plans and budgeting, the low uptake of government programs by the population, the slow mindset change to enable government programs, which affects the uptake of such interventions. 

The other factor is the shifting to program-based planning and budgeting, which came with new demands and changes in the fiscal policy setup, and also the high cost of doing business which has persisted.