The Ministry of Public Service requires up to Shs308 billion to bridge a funding gap necessary to support several critical development projects. A major priority within this requested budget is the establishment of 19 Service Uganda Centres nationwide to streamline and centralize citizen access to essential government services.
Appearing before Parliament’s Committee on Public Service and Local Government on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Catherine Bitarakwate, detailed the strategic plans. She explained that these new facilities will leverage existing POSTA Uganda infrastructure to offer multi-sector public services under one roof. These services include the issuance of passports, driving permits, tax assessments, payroll updates, and pension verification.
“Currently, individual MDAs run duplicate regional offices averaging shs200 million each, annually. Consolidating into 19 zonal centres eliminates overlapping structures and saves the government an estimated shs286.2 billion annually,” Bitarakwate noted.
Decentralizing Access and Upgrading Facilities
By housing various government entities together, the proposed Service Uganda Centres will prevent citizens from having to travel all the way to Kampala for basic administrative needs. “We are not the ones going to do immigration or issue permits, but we shall bring these entities under one roof which is the old post office buildings. This will enable quick access to information and services,” she clarified to the committee.
Alongside the new service hubs, Bitarakwate highlighted a US$30.4 million expansion plan for the Civil Service College Uganda. This expansion aims to reduce daily training costs to Shs197,000 per person, addressing the challenges faced by civil servants who train at the institution. The upgrade is projected to generate an annual monetary saving of Shs6 billion for the government while boosting non-tax revenue to Shs7.5 billion.
Navigating the Rationalisation Process
During the session, Members of Parliament raised concerns regarding the government’s recent agency rationalization process and whether the ministry was best aligned to lead the one-stop model. Hon. Isaac Modoi (NRM, Lutseshe County) questioned the viability of the mergers, asking how the personnel affected by the restructuring are being supported.
Bitarakwate explained that integrating different work cultures across various parent ministries is challenging, and the ministry is preparing a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation report to resolve these hurdles. She assured the committee that individuals who lost their jobs during the rationalization are being progressively placed into other MDAs where there is natural staff attrition. Additionally, an ad hoc Salary Review Commission is being considered under the review of the Public Service Act to give a comprehensive perspective to ongoing structural reforms.
Ultimately, the successful rollout of the regional Service Uganda Centres hinges on securing the requested Shs308 billion, a move that promises long-term efficiency and massive operational savings for the state.
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