By Lydia Nsubuga

The Office of the Prime Minister has called upon the National Planning Authority (NPA) team to think beyond the usual if they are to take this country to another level in development.In this way they have been tasked to be up to date with the current state of the nation to develop an excellent development plan.

These remarks were made today by Hon. Tarsis Kabwejere who represented the Prime Minister as the guest of honor during the NPA staff retreat at Ridar Hotel in Mukono district.

“If you are a planner, you have to think beyond the usual. Think for the people you are planning for to touch each and everyone including the unborn. You are not planning for the government only but for all people including the cockroaches and chicken. You must have a vision where you want to see Uganda in next 100 years. Therefore you need to have up to date information. This supports the delivery of service appropriately and in time,” Hon. Kabwejere said.

The team was also called upon to come up with new innovations and reforms to address the current challenges the country is facing like  the fast population growth which he said has led to over dependency in the country.

“The country is being presented with new challenges and opportunities that require a paradigm shift in planning for example a rapidly growing population. The work load is still great especially in sustainable development.  Further reforms and innovations are therefore needed in the planning,” Hon. Kabwejere added.

Concerning the current state of corruption in the country, Hon. Kabwejere said that it is inevitable in any developing capitalist state.

“Corruption is not bad for any capitalist developing country. If people want to develop and there is no legitimate source of money, the only way out is to steal,” Hon. Kabwejere said.

On the other hand, Hon. Auston Kajjara asked the OPM to ensure that the resources reach the people on ground and separation of Ministry of Finance from that of Planning.

“Office of the Prime Minister has a challenge in ensuring that resources reach where they are intended. There is also need to separate the Ministry of Finance from Planning,” Hon. Kajjara said.

He also said that the delay in carrying out the population census has also affected the work of the authority as they cannot plan without the right data.

The NPA Chairman, Dr. Kisamba Mugerwa said all their work has been delayed by the limited funding and small staff.

“We have done our best but as you know, we are still being affected by the insufficient funding and limited staff. Monitoring and evaluation to ensure that the money is directed to where it is intended is still a challenge too. There is also no value for money as it is usually misappropriated,” Dr. Kisamba said.