Minister for the Presidency, Hon. Babirye Milly Babalanda, has challenged Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) and other presidential representatives to turn government performance into their most powerful weapon against political criticism, insisting that visible results will speak louder than political arguments. Babalanda made the remarks on Wednesday, August 19, 2026, while closing a three-day capacity-building workshop for RDCs, Deputy RDCs, Assistant RDCs, Regional Internal Security Officers and District Internal Security Officers from Busoga at Source of the Nile Hotel in Jinja City.
She reminded the officers that citizens judge Government largely through what they see happening in their communities, making the conduct and performance of presidential representatives critical to public confidence. Babalanda urged them to spend less time behind office desks and more time in the field inspecting roads, health facilities and other government projects, talking to beneficiaries and verifying whether public investments are delivering the promised results.
According to Babalanda, monitoring should not become a routine exercise of producing reports that are never acted upon. She told the officers to establish why projects fail, identify responsible institutions or individuals, raise concerns through the appropriate channels and follow up until corrective measures are taken. She also encouraged them to record successful interventions so that effective government programmes can receive recognition and potentially be replicated elsewhere.
The Minister called for a determined but lawful fight against corruption, misuse of public resources and abuse of office. However, she cautioned RDCs and security officers against making accusations without evidence or turning their official responsibilities into platforms for personal conflicts. She said every allegation should be handled professionally, backed by facts and subjected to the appropriate legal and institutional processes.
Babalanda also demanded greater cooperation among RDCs, security officers, local government leaders and technical departments, saying government cannot effectively serve citizens when its own representatives are engaged in internal disagreements. She warned officers against partisan political activities, indiscipline and excessive involvement in political debates, stressing that their behaviour can either strengthen or weaken public confidence in the Presidency.
She said opposition politicians and other political actors would continue making statements aimed at influencing public opinion, but government officers should not allow such debates to distract them from their duties. Instead, she urged them to answer criticism through functioning public services, completed projects, responsible management of government resources and peaceful communities. Babalanda further reminded the officers that appointments and transfers are matters for competent authorities and should not become a source of distraction.
At the same workshop, Uganda Railway Corporation Board Chairperson and former Minister Daudi Migereko urged the RDCs to move beyond political mobilisation and make poverty reduction and wealth creation their major focus. Migereko said the Government’s four-acre model provides an opportunity for Busoga households to increase incomes, particularly through commercial agriculture and other high-value enterprises suited to farmers with limited land.
Migereko challenged the RDCs to personally champion the model by establishing demonstration farms and mobilising communities to adopt productive enterprises. He also called for improved use of irrigation funds, stronger support for fish farming and greater local food production, warning that Uganda’s growing dependence on imported food should concern government leaders. He proposed a special desk in Busoga to coordinate the four-acre initiative and ensure that government resources translate into tangible improvements in household livelihoods.
Both leaders ultimately placed the responsibility for successful government programmes at the grassroots level on the officers serving there. While Babalanda urged RDCs to defeat political criticism through discipline, accountability and measurable performance, Migereko challenged them to make economic transformation the next major test of their leadership. Their message was unmistakable: citizens need to see government working, public resources protected, projects delivering and families becoming economically stronger.
