OPM Hailed for Spearheading ‘Barazas’ to Promote Good Governance

Corruption, poor health service delivery, and poor road network have been highlighted as major concerns in Kamuli and Kyenjojo districts, following community barazas conducted by the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) in partnership with Twaweza East Africa.

The barazas, which were part of the government’s efforts to strengthen monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and promote accountability, provided a platform for citizens to voice their concerns and feedback on government services.

Speaking during the exercise, Nathan Otutu, Assistant Commissioner of M&E at OPM, emphasized the importance of citizen engagement in promoting good governance. “The monitoring and evaluation function is what puts government on check. It’s the eye and bloodstream of all organizations, allowing us to know whether we’re succeeding or failing,” he said.

Otutu explained that the OPM has been working with Twaweza to deliver barazas across the country as a key tool for M&E. “The barazas are supposed to check the wellness of all interventions from the perspective of the beneficiaries. This puts service givers at a point of accountability to the people and communicates to the people what they have done with the resources that government entrusted in their hands,” Otutu explained.

Sandra Namarome, from the Local Economic Development Department at the Ministry of Local Government, highlighted the importance of community barazas in promoting local economic development. “Our role is to monitor and supervise and ensure that services are being given. The barazas help us to identify areas where we can improve and provide support to local governments,” she said.

Namarome emphasized the need for effective communication between government officials and citizens. “There is need for heads of departments to arrange such forums and ensure that they connect with the local community. For them to have their agency built, they have to understand, they need information, to act on that information, she noted.

Gilbert Rubeihayo, District Chairperson of Kyenjojo, expressed gratitude to the OPM for organizing the baraza. “This baraza is second to none because it has brought out issues the public wants us to address. As you have heard, we addressed most of the concerns, and we are committed to continuing to work with the community to improve service delivery,” Rubeihayo said.

Violet Arinda, Country Lead for Twaweza East Africa in Uganda, highlighted the alignment between the issues raised during the barazas and national priorities sighted in the sauti za wanaich survey.

 “The top priorities at the national level are unemployment, access to health services, and corruption. These are the same issues that have been raised during the barazas, indicating that citizens are aware of the key challenges facing the country,” said Arinda.

The assessment is expected to inform policy decisions and improve service delivery in the two districts. The OPM has pledged to follow up on the issues raised and support local governments in addressing them.