Uganda Parliament OKs Dissolving National Records Agency

Summary:

• The National Records and Archives (Amendment) Bill, 2024 was passed, dissolving the National Records and Archives Agency and transferring its functions to the Ministry of Public Service.

---

The passing of the National Records and Archives (Amendment) Bill, 2024 signals the imminent dissolution of the National Records and Archives Agency, with its functions set to be transferred to the Ministry of Public Service. The bill, designed to enact the Government’s policy for Rationalization of Government Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX), was endorsed by the Cabinet on February 22, 2021, and officially passed on February 27, 2024.

The Chairperson of the Committee of Public Service and Local Government, Hon. Martin Mapenduzi Ojara, noted that despite the enactment of the National Records and Archives Act in June 2001, the Agency remained non-operational. The Act aimed to streamline the management of government and public records and archives, their preservation, utilization, and disposal. Mapenduzi emphasized that the Ministry of Public Service effectively carried out the envisioned functions of the Agency, justifying the integration of its roles into the Ministry.

Minister of Public Service, Hon. Wilson Muruli Mukasa, confirmed that the staff of the National Records and Archives Agency had been operating under the Ministry, rendering the Agency redundant. With no associated costs, the amendment to dissolve the Agency and merge its functions with the Ministry was deemed appropriate.

However, several bills concerning the rationalization of other agencies and departments were withdrawn due to the absence of Certificates of Financial Implication. These certificates, issued under the Public Finance Management Act, outline revenue and expenditure estimates over a period of at least two years following the bill’s enactment.

Deputy Chairperson of the Committee on Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Hon. Yusuf Mutembuli (NRM, Bunyole East), highlighted that amendments to the certificate of financial implication were not permissible once a bill had been introduced. The Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, acknowledged that while the bills presented had certificates of financial implication, they required amendments for sufficiency.

The withdrawn bills encompassed various sectors, such as Works and Transport, Trade, Social Development, Education, Internal Affairs, Finance, Water and Environment, Agriculture, and Tourism, with plans for an omnibus passage.

Speaker Anita Among directed the re-introduction of the bills by the respective Ministers, advising committees with reports to proceed and provide updates when ready.

Follow @examinerug