The Secretary-Office of the President, Hajji Yunus Kakande has tasked Policy Analysts to deepen their level of expertise by embracing more training and upgrading their academic qualifications.
According to Hajji Kakande, if policy analysts take on that challenge, they will be able to effectively execute their mandate.
“Masters degree is an imperative since your field requires much research. Your work guides leaders and informs resource allocation. It’s therefore imperative that you deepen your knowledge in the field,” he said.
Hajji Kakande made the remarks today while officiating at the opening of the 2nd Policy Analysts’ Forum at Mbale Resort Hotel, Mbale city.
Policy analysts are professionals who research and analyze issues to help organizations and governments make informed decisions about creating, modifying, or evaluating policies.
The 4-day event which brought together policy analysts from the various government Ministries, is running under the theme: “Fostering Public Confidence through professionalism, Transparency and Accountability in the Public Service.”
Hajji Kakande reiterated that there’s a need to build a strong community of practice for the cadre, hinged on continuous capacity building, networking, consultation, mentorship, information sharing and collaboration, to ensure effective policy guidance and in turn, better performance of the government.
He also informed the officers that policy management sits at the heart of the function of government: policy formulation, adoption, implementation, monitoring and evaluation, and therefore there’s need for a strong and vibrant policy analyst cadre to support the government to effectively deliver its core purpose of solving citizens’ problems.
“I take this opportunity to remind you about the bedrock of our professional practice; adherence at all times to the regulatory best practices. You should ensure that all policy proposals are citizen- focused, anchored in evidence, foresight, logical, inclusive, widely consulted, more beneficial than costly, among other attributes,” he said.
On the other hand, Hajji Kakande explained that as policy analysts, they must always be awake to the emerging issues in the public policy terrain which have become the unavoidable realities of the current times.
“You therefore need to be proactive in dealing with them along the entire chain of the policy process because we cannot afford to turn a blind eye. They include new challenges as well as solutions, notably; climate change, artificial intelligence, digital revolution, big data, social media and its influence, strong policy advocacy by non-state actors to mention but a few.”
Hajji Kakande further implored the policy analysts to vote wisely in the forthcoming general elections. He said for sustainable progress and peace, they should vote for President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
“We are now having elections where we must choose a leader for the next five years. Most of you have not seen the past incidents before this government came into power. This country has passed through so many problems,” he said.
“President Museveni has done good things so you young officers when you are voting, vote for President Museveni. Also convince your relatives to vote for him. When it comes to 15th January, 2026, vote for that man.”
Dr. Emmanuel Freddie Mugunga, Undersecretary- Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, who presented a paper on “building public service culture and career development of the policy analysis cadre”, urged the officers to always be ready for retirement to create room for career growth for their juniors.
“If we are talking about career growth, we must provide space for other people to grow,” he said.
Dr. Mugunga also noted that building a strong public service culture is fundamental to restoring and sustaining citizens’ trust in government.
“Uganda’s public institutions operate within a dynamic government environment that requires professionalism, transparency, ethical conduct and continuous skills,” he said.
“Public Confidence in government institutions is a cornerstone of good governance.”
Dr. Mugunga explained that public confidence grows when public servants consistently display values, behaviors, and standards aligned with national goals.
“The Uganda Public Service Standing Orders (2021 edition) emphasize that public officers must demonstrate impartiality, integrity, transparency and accountability in the execution of duties,” he said.
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