Kampala, Uganda | The Ugandan government has begun phasing out director-level positions across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), as part of a broader public service restructuring effort aimed at merging overlapping functions, streamlining operations, and reducing costs.
Permanent Secretary Catherine Bitarakwate, of the Ministry of Public Service, issued a circular to all accounting officers and heads of MDAs informing them of the changes. She confirmed that the roles of "Director" and certain Commissioner positions including those in policy, planning, human resource management, administration, and procurement will be rationalised after merging their responsibilities under a new departmental framework.
The restructuring is guided by earlier Cabinet decisions and legislation under the Rationalisation of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX) initiative, approved in 2021. Affected employees will undergo functional analysis to determine whether they will be retained or phased out. Those whose positions are abolished are to receive severance, counselling, and other benefits.
MDAs will be consolidated under a “Finance and Administration” department, combining functions such as finance, administrative support services, planning, policy analysis, procurement, and human resource management under the supervision of an Undersecretary. Key qualifications for the Undersecretary role include a master’s degree in a relevant field and a minimum number of years in senior leadership positions.
The Uganda Police Force has noted the change: the title of “Director” will be vacated, and directors will now be redesignated (e.g., Assistant Inspector General), while their deputies will take on “Senior Commissioner” titles. This is part of the broader implementation plan under RAPEX.
The government has set December 2025 as the deadline for restructuring affected positions. Affected employees will be compensated by June 2026. The total number of affected staff has not yet been made public.