Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja launching last year’s Manifesto Week.
The Office of the President through the Manifesto Implementation Unit (MIU) has set Friday November 15, 2024 as the date for the launch of this year’s Manifesto Week.
According to Willis Bashaasha, the MIU Director, the Manifesto Accountability Week was initiated by the MIU to enable Uganda to get firsthand updates on the progress of the projects designed for them by the government through the manifesto.
“This annual event provides us with an opportunity to celebrate, take stock of the cumulative milestones and achievements of Government on the implementation of this social contract (the manifesto). We therefore decided to organize it every year so that we can appreciate the Manifesto milestones attained, share the challenges and strategies for better implementation of the projects for the remaining period of the political term,” Bashaasha explained.
He added that this year’s Manifesto week will be officially launched with a press conference by the Prime Minister, Robinah Nabbanja, on Friday November 15, 2024 at the Office of the President Conference Centre.
The Premier will be flanked by the NRM Secretary General Richard Todwong, and Miily Babirye Babalanda, the Minister for the Presidency, will give a general overview on the Manifesto implementation status— being the leader of government business in Parliament.
Ministers to account to Ugandans
Following the launch, the heads of the various government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) charged with delivering services to Ugandans will— commencing November 19, 2024 — be invited to make live presentations on the progress made in the Implementation of the Manifesto commitments with in their respective MDAs.
These progress updates will be made by the Ministers, who are also expected to lead their technical teams in updating Ugandans on what they have done for them within the past three years.
To ensure citizen participation in this accountability process, the MIU has organized question and answer sessions where ordinary citizens will have a chance to seek clarity on any issues of interest from the officials tasked with offering them the desired services as lined up in the manifesto.
According to Bashaasha, among the other key manifesto implementation stakeholders that have been invited for the Manifesto Accountability week include: the NRM Party leadership, Presidential Advisors, Parliamentary Presidential Affairs Committee Members, Operation Wealth Creation, Office of the President Team, Civil society Organizations, and the Media, among others.
Bashaasha also explained that the wananchi, who are the cardinal beneficiaries of the manifesto projects, will get a chance to follow the events from the various media spaces, where the week’s proceedings will be extensively covered.
“We have engaged the Media both at the Centre and Local Government levels to help us clearly explain the progress and achievements of the NRM Government for the last three years in relation with our Manifesto journey. We believe this will help the local communities appreciate the unrivaled and enormous contribution of the NRM Government in lifting and improving the livelihoods of Ugandans,” he said.
To entrench this message further, Bashaasha said, the RDCs and other Local Government officials throughout the country will appear on their local/community TVs and Radio stations to explain Government programmes and the achievements of the NRM Manifesto implementation in their localities for the last three years.
The media spaces from which Ugandans will follow the Manifesto Week include: Electronic Media (TVs and Radio) and live websites, social media i.e. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Print Media (including newspapers, brochures and magazines) where these achievements will be highlighted. Stakeholders will also get a souvenir magazine which the MIU will publish in partnership with the authorized publishers.
Mandate of the manifesto week
Conducted in line with the National Monitoring and Evaluation Policy (2013), the Manifesto Week gives the government a chance to make its case to the Wananchi, offering correct information about the social contract it signed with the people during the electoral campaigns.
This year’s Week comes just days after the President rallied local leaders at the various local government units in the country to prioritize their oversight roles in manifesto implementation.
