NGO Bureau dissolved as part of government rationalisation

The National Bureau for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGO Bureau) has officially been dissolved and restructured as a department within the Ministry of Internal Affairs. 

The development follows the signing of Statutory Instrument 2024 No. 73 by the Minister of Internal Affairs on September 27, 2024.

“The NGO Bureau as an autonomous entity has been dissolved and is now part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs as the department of NGO management,” ministry spokesperson Simon Mundeyi said on October 7, 2024, during the joint weekly security briefing at the Police headquarters in Naguru, Kampala.

The new department will oversee the monitoring, regulation, and management of NGOs and civil society organisations (CSOs) in Uganda. It will be headed by a commissioner who reports directly to the ministry permanent secretary.

The department will operate with a reduced staff of 12 members, down from 14, and will continue to function from its current office in Nakasero, Kampala. NGO bureau boss is Steven Okello and will be deputised by Martha Oundo, among others.

Saving sh1 trillion

The restructuring is part of the government’s rationalisation efforts aimed at streamlining operations and improving service delivery. 

Government chief whip Dennis Hamson Obua (Ajuri County MP) in February, 2024, said the rationalisation is poised at strengthening departments of ministries and making them more functional as opposed to duplication of services.

“When we rationalise, we shall save the public some expenditure to a tune of over shillings one trillion. The gist of rationalisation is: To avoid duplication of services where you have the mainstream ministry with a department and there is again an independent or autonomous agency, authority or commission doing more or less the same work,” he said.