THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF PRINT MEDIA IN UGANDA

By Mutabazi Sam Stewart

Uganda’s print media industry has grown tremendously in a relatively short period of time compared to other countries within the region. The New Vision, Uganda’s leading daily sells up to 35,000 copies every day. Its annual turn over is approximately 40 billion shillings. Established in 1986, the New Vision has witnessed a steady growth from a time when it virtually didn’t have any competitor to early 1990’s when the Monitor (now Daily Monitor) entered the market. The Daily Monitor sales are estimated at 25,000-30,000 each day. Print media in Uganda has overtaken that of neighboring Tanzania in terms of quality and content but not in circulation. Uganda’s print media is currently sold in all the five member states of the East African Community (EAC) although the sales outside Uganda are still meager. The New Vision again leads in selling most copies with up to 2000 copies sold in Kenya everyday. Rwanda is the second consumer of Ugandan newspapers after Kenya because of its historical links with Uganda. Burundi buys the least number of newspapers from Uganda among the EAC member countries.

The Daily Nation of Kenya which is the largest circulating newspaper in East Africa selling in excess of 200,000 copies every day has achieved this feat because of among other reasons, its long history having been established in 1958, and continuous improvement in its content, design and innovation. Ugandan newspapers still have a long way to go in spite of the successes so far achieved. According to media analysts the reasons why Uganda’s newspapers sales are still low has been due to small urban elite population that can afford to buy a newspapers plus the high cost of the newspapers. The cost of producing each copy of a newspaper in Uganda is still high compared to the same in developed countries. Although all daily newspapers are printed locally, the quality of printing has not yet reached the standard of Kenya and South Africa.

There are very many newspapers which begin business in Uganda each year. But a few survive beyond their first anniversary. The rate at which newspapers start is possibly higher than the rate at which they close. Some publications do not even stay around long enough to be known by a considerable number of people in Kampala. It takes a lot of planning and determination to keep a publication coming out on the streets as scheduled. Publications (newspapers and magazines) mainly depend on revenue generated from advertisers. But advertisers may not easily choose a medium (read print media) that has not been tested by its track record of consistency. A newspaper that does not coherently address itself to the requirements of both its readers and advertisers may find it challenging to keep in circulation for a long time.

Apart from advertisers, a publication’s survival almost solely depends on its content and how the same is packaged for the public to appreciate and get the confidence that what they get through buying or advertising in such a paper will give them the leverage over other competing publications. The other determining factor of newspaper circulation is the population within a country. China, Japan and India have the largest number of newspapers by average circulation because of their high population density. Yumiuri Shimbum of Japan with an average daily circulation of 14 Million copies is by far the best selling newspaper in the world and has held this position for more than five years now. Of course coupled with big numbers of people is the standard of living in a given country. The higher the standard of living a country enjoys, the more likely its people can afford to buy newspapers and vice versa.

No publication can claim to achieve its audience’s (readers’) expectations all the time. Society’s needs and aspirations are always changing. A newspaper which therefore relies on present circumstances to consider that it has a fair share of readers and advertisers and does less to reinvent itself through well-thought-out innovative ventures may slowly but surely sink over time. Editors of newspapers spend sleepless nights thinking of how they can tell a story as differently as possible and in an interesting mode as it can get. They put a lot of pressure on their reporters and writers which leads to stressful lives for the latter. It is challenging to write a good story. It is even more challenging to write interesting stories consistently. Every publication needs highly motivated writers who are willing to go the extra mile of delivering a message to the public that would leave both the writer and the reader satisfied that the former has done their best while the latter yarns for more pieces that offer good reading.

It is interesting to note that newspaper and magazine editors are well aware when their publication has not lived up to the expectations of the public. For instance there are times when a person buys one of the major dailies in Uganda and gets a sense of betrayal because they feel they did not get the worth of their money. Some newspapers may for example have more of advertisements that news. This is abnormal since readers generally are interested in news than advertisements. A very small percentage of people buy newspapers to read advertisements unless they are advertising job and vacancies or it is the people who placed those advertisements and want to check that they were produced correctly.

The print industry in Uganda is likely to continue growing but will have to put up with the challenge of facing steep competition from radio, internet and television. As more people get access to internet, a good number of them will choose to read the news from the net while others may opt for radio as their major source of information. Newspapers are going to find themselves in an unenviable situation of whether to publish their news on the internet and allow people to read it free of charge or withhold it to force them to buy printed copies which would mean losing out on possible advertisers on the newspaper websites. Whichever trend the print media chooses to take there are likely to be obstacles brought about due to information age and globalization. It is survival for the fittest.

Why must doctors first strike?

By Sam Stewart Mutabazi

SIR — Doctors, nurses, teachers, police officers and soldiers are professionals who should be respected and appropriately rewarded by any government. This is because they protect and save the lives of our citizens, including government officials.

All these professions have a direct effect on the welfare of the people. In my view, however, doctors and nurses play a more critical role of treating the sick. They therefore need to be well-facilitated in order to do a good job. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Medical workers are the only category of educated professionals I know who engage in what one may term as “menial labour”. While the majority of professionals use their brains to do their duties, medical workers use both their brains as well as their hands.

Since 1986, when the NRM came to power, medical staff in this country have had to resort to strikes more than five times because of poor remuneration and working conditions.

The recent strike by Mulago hospital postgraduate doctors is one among the many we have witnessed and are likely see more strikes in future if the problem of inadequate remuneration is not addressed. It has become a kind of custom that in order for them to be listened to by the government, they have to first go on strike. Most of our doctors in whom government invests a lot of resources during training, end up practising in Europe and America where they are well-paid. We continue to export medical workers as if Uganda has enough of them! I am fully aware that Uganda’s income is still low but we must learn to prioritize our needs in the most suitable manner.

Besides, it is not enough to increase the salaries of medical workers without increasing the health budget, such that the health centres are equipped with not only motivated staff, but also the patients who visit these health facilities will find medicine and appropriate equipment. With increased health spending we shall avoid unnecessary strikes, which are normally more costly to the nation in terms of death of patients and man-hours lost by the striking personnel.

New Vision Saturday, 14th January, 2006

INTERESTING QUOTE ABOUT DEATH BY MUTABAZI SAM STEWART

“Sometimes death happens so fast that the one it has taken doesn’t realise that they are dead”







Mutabazi Sam Stewart






23rd November 2009

WISE QUOTATION ABOUT GOD’S POWER AND THE UNIVERSE

By Mutabazi Sam Stewart

Even people with the smallest brains have asked themselves the question about how far the boundaries of the universe stretch. It is humbling to realise that even the greatest minds have scratched their heads about the same question for centuries without any tangible breakthrough. Would we therefore be incorrect to suggest that people with feeble minds and the greatest thinkers have something in common – inadequacy of understanding of God’s ability and creation?

14th November 2009

ENDURING THE INDIGNITY AT THE EMBASSY; WHO WILL SAVE US THE EMBARRASSMENT?

By Mutabazi Sam Stewart


In a world when globalization and international interaction is at its peak, travelers and globe trotters keep enduring situations that are not very friendly. More and more people are crisscrossing from one city to another to do business and to attend to other personal issues. Air transport is by far the most common international travel but for one to use this means of transport, one has to go through difficult circumstances which unfortunately, would be avoided if stakeholders in the travel industry and embassies cared to do things differently from what has been done for many years.

According to a study commissioned by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, (MIT), the world’s airlines flew almost 28 million scheduled flight departures and carried over two billion passengers in 2006. The growth of world air travel has averaged approximately 5% per year over the past 30 years. For majority of these travelers, moving from one destination to another is not easy. Various countries have different travel restrictions which most often are not only annoying but are degrading and dehumanizing. People across the globe have spoken about the hallowing experiences they have gone through trying to get travel documents from different embassies and consulates at different entry or exits points in different cities and towns.

There are some norms and tendencies which are practiced the world over and they have become acceptable even though they are wrong and unacceptable to most people. It is known that norms are rarely questioned. But this doesn’t mean that they are acceptable or noble. It just means that a sizable number of people, though not believing wholly in the same practices, may not have the requisite determination to change them or the people who are supposed to change them are reluctant to change them because of one reason or the other. When a practice is repeated for a long time, it becomes a norm and when a norm is practiced over a long period, it becomes a custom or a culture. One norm that has been practiced for a long time relates to the issue of visa handling and travel document handling by embassies and governments in various capitals around the world.

Queuing for services at airport lounges and standing in open spaces while awaiting a visa to enable one travel from one destination to another is an unacceptable norm that has come to be accepted by most travelers as a normal procedure whereas not. . It is a common sight at most airports to see people herded together in a queue when they are going to be cleared at airports. With the threat of terrorism after the incident of September 11th 2001 in America, many security agencies have upped their alertness to the fullest to protect the traveling public. This has however become more of an inconvenience than a protection. People are striped of their clothes, ordered to remove their shoes and belts and told to pass through metal detectors more times than necessary. All this is in the name of “we can’t leave anything to chance”. These security people are as annoying as terrorists themselves.

The second category of humiliation is that experienced at embassies. Most embassies do not have enough space for visitors let alone, people who come to collect travel documents. In the hot tropical regions of Africa especially, travelers have to stand in open spaces at different embassies waiting to be cleared. Very few embassies have well furnished lounges where people can wait as their visas are being processed. The reason for this anomaly is not that all embassies or their home governments can not afford to put up those structures but rather it is because it is a practice that has been inherited from past generations. The problem of relegation of human dignity at embassies is induced by international policy failure where the world has not taken interest in investing in infrastructure that is comfortable enough for people who intend to travel, but has instead opted to invest large sums of money to ensure that passengers get the best comfort only when they are aboard a plane, not before. Put simply, it doesn’t matter what people go through when they want to travel even if they have to stand in a long queue on an extremely hot day at the South African high commission in Kampala or at the French embassy in Congo Brazzaville. What is more worrying is the fact that the world is in unison on this. It doesn’t matter whether one is from a developed or developing country, the mistreatment that travelers endure in both instances is, to a great extent similar.

At the American and British embassy/high commission in Kampala, the Ugandan public complained for quite a long time about the humiliation those two missions were subjecting the applicants to but nothing much was changed. With the relocation of the two missions outside the Central Business District of Kampala, most people thought that the issue of putting in place a pleasant waiting room for visa applicants would be provided. This was never to be the case. Although the British High Commission for instance decentralized its visa handling section, it did not put up a specific structure where its clients who may need other services can wait from. Although the American embassy has the largest and latest structure among all foreign missions in Uganda, it doesn’t cater for people who come to seek for visa and travel information. One would be tempted to believe that, possibly the architects of that building wanted to punish all the people who come to this embassy to seek to the said services. Otherwise what would be the rationale of designing the embassy in such away that the car park accommodates no more than fifteen cars at a time and is located five hundred meters from the main embassy entrance? What about the five security checks one has to be subjected to before they are allowed to proceed any specific office?

Something that doesn’t need mention is the money that people pay in form of application fees to get visas. A visa application fee to US now costs $131 while the one of UK goes for £67. It is not automatic that when one pays that money they would automatically get the much sought after travel document. What one is sure of is the fact that the money they pay is non refundable irrespective of whether one is successful or not. Thousands of people, especially from developing countries, mainly in Africa apply for visas to Europe and America which they never get. Tales have been told of people who have applied more than ten times without getting the visa. This translates into millions of dollars which developed countries siphon from developing countries in an indirect manner.


Improving the current trend and process of visa acquisition at any embassy is not only the right thing to do but also the sensible thing to do. It is the right thing to do because traveling from one destination (country) to another is part and parcel of human life and development. It is a sensible thing to do because human beings everywhere are supposed to be treated with some level of dignity at all times. The continued failure by the world to recognize their failure in this endeavor is not only a misdemeanor but a serious threat to world development where the wrong norm has come to be accepted as the right practice across the globe. The act of making people stand in the sun for long hours is not only demeaning to the largest number of people that travel, but it also brings to the fore the uncaring attitude of persons responsible for developing policies and regulations that guide the transport sector and the diplomatic interconnectedness not only in the developing world but in the developed nations as well. I am not sure as to why it has taken the United Nations (UN) this long to a draft treaty for member countries to ratify which would require signatories to recognize that traveling from one country or destination to another in dignity is a human right, and a fundamental one at that.

INTERESTING QUOTE ABOUT MARRIAGE BY MUTABAZI SAM STEWART

"Marriage is like death. A person who is in it cannot adequately explain it to someone who is yet to experience it".


By Mutabazi Sam Stewart
3rd September 2009

WISE SAYING BY MUTABAZI SAM STEWART

LIFE HAS NEVER BEEN FAIR, YOU ONLY HAVE TO BE FAIR TO YOUR SELF

WISE SAYING BY MUTABAZI SAM STEWART

LIFE HAS NEVER BEEN FAIR, YOU ONLY HAVE TO BE FAIR TO YOUR SELF

24th August 2009

THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE CREDIT CRUNCH ON NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS

By Mutabazi Sam Stewart

A credit crunch is an economic condition in which investment capital is difficult to obtain. Banks and investors become wary of lending funds to corporations, which drives up the price of debt products for borrowers. Usually occurring during a recession, it indicates that banking institutions are unwilling to take on additional credit risk. If things stay bad, then the situation can end up in a depression. A depression is simply a prolonged recession.
It is important for us to first understand the history of recessions and depressions in world history. During the great depression of 1929, unemployment in America was at 25% and wages (for those who still had jobs) fell 42%. Total US economic output fell from $103 billion to $55 billion and world trade plummeted 65% as measured in dollars. A depression on the scale of that of 1929 could not happen exactly the way it did because institutions have been enhanced, the world has advanced in terms of financial management and most central banks around the world are much aware of the importance of a prudent monetary policy to regulate the economy. One question which still puzzles many people especially non economists is how the situation could be allowed for the world economy to degenerate into a credit crunch yet we have the means to forestall it. Didn’t economists have the capacity to roll back the credit crunch before it could cause any financial damage it has done?
The world economy and individual countries’ growth trends will always experience ups and downs. It’s a normal occurrence that only needs to be well managed so as minimize the impact. Once a recession has occurred it takes some time for economies to return to normalcy. That’s why it important that it should be avoided because it sets every sector into panicky mood hence offsetting only negative consequences prominent of which is massive unemployment and decreased production. It is not clear when the crunch will end. Although there seem to be positive projections in USA and Britain that good times are within view.
It is well known that the credit crunch has had a direct effect on the private sector. The sector which has however suffered silently has been that of voluntary and nonprofit making including local and international Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs). This sector has not been greatly affected because it doesn’t depend heavily on the banking industry like the private sector does. Very few NGOs have loans and mortgages from financial institutions because their operations are mainly funded by goodwill and voluntary donations and grants. Ironically this would ordinarily be the reason why they ought to be affected. The fact that the largest chunk of NGO funds are from the private sector, means that when that sector suffers, the resource flow for NGOs becomes unpredictable. Local NGOs in Uganda are mainly funded by Northern NGOs which are essentially found in developed countries. But northern NGOs also get funds from private companies, individuals and governments. The amount of money they collect determines how much they shall pass on to their partners in developing countries in form of grants. Available evidence indicates that although many local NGOs are suffering silently, the situation is not as bad as what the private businesses are experiencing. The only reason why the crunch has not adversely affected Oxfam International for example is because the biggest part of its budget is funded by major institutions such as UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Union (EU). Voluntary donations from individuals have however fallen drastically in the last eight months, according to the organization’s dossier. In 2006-2007, Oxfam’s total income was £290 million, out of which £61 million was raised from public authorities while £105 million was from donations from various sources.
NGOs have recently become major channels through which official development assistance is passed to developing countries to support various programmes. Their budgets have therefore been increasing steadily since early 1980’s. According to World Bank figures, 12 per cent of foreign aid to developing countries already was being channeled through NGOs in 1994, and as of 1996, the total amount was $7 billion worldwide. Today, NGOs in Africa manage nearly $3.5 billion in external aid compared to under $1 billion in 1990. According to Newsweek Magazine International (5, September 2005), the Comparative Non-profit Sector Project at Johns Hopkins University studied 37 nations and found total non-profit NGO operating expenditures in 2002 of $1.6 trillion.
Most voluntary organizations that deliver services are likely to meet an increase in demand for these services as the number of people affected by the crunch keeps increasing. At the same time most, if not all organizations, will witness increased costs. This is likely to hit humanitarian organizations most. The cost of food, building materials and general cost of living are likely to alter the overall projections of most organizations’ future cash outlay. In some cases NGOs may have no option but to lay of some of their staff to reduce expenses while others may opt to either completely suspend some of their activities and programmes. The challenge may arise when programmes to be put on hold are the core ones that target the poor. Some organizations may even be forced to close. It is important for NGOs to start thinking about the repercussions of the international financial crisis, re-evaluate their policies and plan long-term strategies without necessarily affecting their programmes which affect the poor. They should look for sustainable sources of funds rather than depend on timely short-term ones.

A critical analysis of the situation in Uganda indicates that prominent international NGOs are not recruiting new staff as they were a few years ago. They have suddenly gone “underground” and have not come out to explain the obtaining situation. Apart from press releases issues by their mother organizations back home, the regional and branch offices in Uganda are not willing to state their position and how they are faring. Be that as it may it is generally known that most of them have cut their budgets while others are trimming expenditures which are not considered vital. According to the Head of Public Relations of Oxfam UK Ms Magda Walter, her organization has for instance laid off 5% of its staff and has, in addition not been filling vacant positions for the last one year. The organization has been preparing for the economic down turn for months. In an interview with NGO Media, Walter says they had prepared their staff emotionally, culturally and mentally for the consequences of the credit crunch.

Among the international NGOs that have reportedly been affected are Oxfam GB, and the Catholic Relief Services (CRS). They have confessed that the global market recession was affecting their activities as they could no longer meet their targets. This might in one way or the other affect beneficiaries of interventions from these organizations. Although many organizations are affected, a good number may not actually come out to tell the public about their financial standing for fear that it may affect their performance and image. World Vision, one of the most respectable and largest international organizations operating in Uganda with a presence in more than 30 districts could be among those affected. Its annual budget for 2006 was about $2.1billion. This figure has almost doubled to the current budget of slightly over $3.5 billion almost equivalent to Uganda’s current GDP. Half of World Visions budget comes from private donors. It is not yet clear how the credit crunch has affected the organizations budget given the fact that more than half of its total income comes from institutions and private individuals living in USA, a country most overwhelmed by the credit crunch. In the midst of this gloomy picture, some NGOs are beginning to place emphasis on generating their own funds rather than depending on donor funding. Others are making effective use of available resources, for instance by outsourcing projects in order to save money. Some are using volunteers while a few have sent their staff on forced unpaid leave promising them that they shall be recalled when the situation normalizes. It is a game of trying to keep afloat during unpredictable times like these.

***The writer is a Human Rights Defender

WHY HAS DEVELOPMENT ELUDED BLACK PERSONS FOR SO LONG?

By Mutabazi Sam Stewart
The future of most black persons in the world continues to be bleak, highly dependent on other people that developed their capacities long ago. Black persons are the poorest among the poor in the world. Well-meaning efforts by statesmen and patrons to better the lives of black people especially those living in Africa have not yielded impressive results. Some writers have called us a cursed race while others have heaped the blame of the Blackman’s predicament on the Whiteman who ‘whitewashed” Africans to remain in perpetual poverty. One such writer is, Daniel K. Pryce who, writing in Ghana Times newspaper says, “That Africa's collective growth ― social, political and economic ― remains stunted many decades after all colonists had departed for their respective native countries is indicative of what I generally refer to as a congenital splotch on the mental terrain of the black man. If after so many decades of pervasive self-determination Africans are still unable to unflinchingly meander through the quiescent tides of basic economics and social organization, then I am sorry to state that there is little hope for both the present generation and posterity alike”.
Whereas many countries especially in Europe and Asia have taken comparably shorter periods to uplift their living standards, it is taking what seems like eternity for Africans to achieve development. In some situations, parts of Africa remain almost as backward as they were more than 200 years ago, if not worse off. Famine and diseases are in some cases as intense as what was obtaining during what is commonly referred to as “the dark ages”. Africa is at crossroads because it has not yet decided on which development model to adopt. Countries like Thailand chose the path of investing in their people who later transformed the economy from the bliss. Britain invested in industry. Germany was interested in funding technological research and innovation. USA emphasized liberty and freedom for her people to realize their full potential. Japan emphasized innovativeness together with replication of best practices and technological advancement. Africa has been using all the above approaches but the results seem to be dismally disappointing.
Some scholars such as Timothy Kalyegira, a leading local social critic, have made astounding proposals which have attracted outright rejection and rebuttal. Kalyegira has variously argued that Uganda was better off under colonial rule than it has been after attaining her independence. Of course Kalyegira is not alone. There is a sizeable number of people who believe that we should hire leaders from the west to manage our countries and lead us into prosperity like they have done in their own nations. All these are maneuvers to find an answer to the problem that seem not to have a workable solution.
President Yoweri Museveni has identified Africa’s problems and has gone ahead to suggest solutions as well. These too have remained proposals and assumptions. The fact is that we all know the problems of Africa but we don’t know what we are supposed to know when it comes to solving them, because if we knew, we would rightly apply appropriate measures to help our lot.
We have been advised by everybody including those who give us grants that aid has never developed a country and it will never do in the near future. But the givers and receivers continue to give and receive with deceitful belief that the unthinkable may happen, that Africa shall develop through aid and become economically self-supporting. One of the questions that has been asked about Africa’s underdevelopment has been that “Is the west responsible for developing Africa?” of course not. America for instance does not have a duty to develop Africa but Africa has a right to development. But I personally believe that if for instance America has been able to develop her potential to such levels, through conquering the earth, the sea and the space, it seems to me that America should be judged harshly for the small oversight it has made to shamefully remain indifferent to Africa’s problems for such a long time. Of all the problems developed nations have solved within and outside their boarders, Africa’s underdevelopment remains one of the sticking issue that is yet to be addressed. Would one be right to imagine that Africa’s problem is not important to attract the attention of the west? When will the turning point for Africa arrive? Isn’t it about time that Africa weaned herself from the west by rejecting aid and advice since this is the only thing we have not tried out? Africa is desperate and desperate situations call for desperate actions.

** The writer is a Human Rights Defender: mutasamste@yahoo.com

Mutabazi Sam Stewart: Interesting Quote about Love

Mutabazi Sam Stewart: Interesting Quote about Love

Two Famous quotes from VS. Naipul

"The writer writes and the outer world has it's say as well. I don't mind criticism for the strange reason, I seldom read it"


"One writes about one's emotions, and emotions are not always based on emotions. There are emotions based on situations"


Author: VS. Naipul Author of Miguel Street

20th March 2008 at a Public Lecture organised by Literature Department at Makerere University, Kampala

Transcribed by Mutabazi Sam Stewart

Interesting Quote about Death

"Che Guevara is dead, Patrice Lumumba is dead, and i too, am not feeling too well"

Nathan Byamukama quoting Prof. Issa Shvji of University of Dar es salam

1st june 2009

Interesting Quote about Love

"Love what you have especially if you cant have what you love"

Hilary Benemigisha (New Vision Newspaper)

6th June 2009

NGOS IN UGANDA NEED A COMPLETE OVERHAUL

By Mutabazi Sam Stewart

Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Uganda have been roundly criticized as inefficient entities that are mainly interested in accessing resources from western donors to promote individual interests while claiming to work for the cause of the marginalized, the disadvantaged and the poor. The unending syndrome of NGO workshops seminars and conferences have made skeptics to wonder why these institutions have to keep on wasting so much money on meetings that hardly make any impact on the purported populace on whose behalf the NGO’s claim to be working. Uganda is regarded as one of the leading countries with the highest number of NGOs. According to the NGO Board, the body responsible for registering and regulating the activities of NGOs, approximately 100, persons and groups of people express their interest to register an NGO every month. Out of these about half are actually issued certificates. The total number of registered NGOs in the country is not known because majority do not fulfill the requirement of filing annual reports with the NGO Board after registration. A good number of NGOs stop at registration while others operate only for a few years before going into limbo.
Many NGOs are run like small individual business entities without well drafted mandate, vision and mission. They struggle to keep up their operations by diversifying their sources of revenue especially from foreign donors. Their impact is hardly felt but they keep boasting of great successes and achievements. They are run by all sorts of people ranging from well qualified to those without any basic education. They replicate services and they often claim to be what they are not. They are not accountable to anybody because the Board of Directors, the topmost decision making body is either non-existent or is deliberately kept in a weak position so as not to question any discrepancies by the head of organization secretariat who is in most cases “the owner’ of the organization. Members of the Board are usually not highly educated or are not conversant with the dynamics programme implementation and organizational management principles and practices. They rarely audit their books of accounts and neither do they reveal their incomes and expenditures to their members or communities which they claim to work for. The finances (revenue) are erratic and job security for their workers is never guaranteed. They hire and fire workers at will. Most NGOs carry out their activities and programmes by accident rather than by design. They jump at every opportunity without any due consideration to their values, why they exist, what they want to achieve and in what period. For instance, an NGO whose programme revolves around working in the area of HIV/AIDS may find itself applying (soliciting) for funds from a donor to implement activities related to landmine detection in northern Uganda. I have also come across organizations whose official stated objective is to promote health rights doing work related to democracy and good governance. All this is happening because there is very little professionalism when it comes to NGO administration, management and performance appraisal. Anybody can start up an NGO and manage is the way he or she deems fit without adhering to any rules and regulations whatsoever. To most NGOs, the motive to access resources overrides the desire to remain strategic and focused on why the NGO was formed in the first place. An NGO without a clear and distinctive focus is as good as non existent. It can never be effective in its programme implementation. Its programmes and activities are always done in a haphazard manner and the outcome there from is nothing but mediocre services. The focus of any organization can only be derived from its mission, vision and goals which are supposed to guide its growth, expansion and delivery of services to the targeted population. It is a trend that most NGOs have embraced the culture of coining mission objectives for themselves but these often remain on paper. Employees do not fully internalize the importance, let alone the meaning of a mission and vision of their organization. It is one thing to have them and it is another to follow them. Any organization, however fake it may be has capacity to formulate high sounding, well drafted objectives. But it takes a focused team of highly talented and disciplined individuals to transform the goals of an organization from paper to results. The corporate world should help NGOs in Uganda to come up with a development agenda that is workable if the NGO sector is to make any headway as far as sustainable service delivery is concerned. The beginning point is for NGOs to develop well-thought-out policy papers that will guide them during programme implementation. Most importantly however, NGOs must aspire to run their activities in a more systematic way just as the corporate companies are doing, by respecting the rules of the game. They must build their capacities from within by putting in place and respecting various structures before they think about transforming and working for communities.

**The writer is the Head of NGO Management Programme
Cavendish University Uganda (CUU)
Tel: 0772-882547
Email: mutasamste@yahoo.com

DO YOU WANT TO GET MARRIED?

Seeking for a marriage partner is a payless full time job.

(Mutabazi Sam Stewart)
16th April 2009

DEATH PENALTY WILL NOT END CRIME

By Mutabazi Sam Stewart

I was surprised by the comments in the press attributed to Rev. Can. Grace Kaiso of Uganda Joint Christian Council that he supports the death penalty. Maybe it is because Rev. Kaiso’s organization is not in the mainstream human rights work and he is, therefore, not well conversant with the current global campaign against the death penalty. One of the major challenges human rights advocates worldwide face is the issue of death penalty because it touches the epitome of human rights. Without life one cannot talk of human rights. Life must, therefore, be guarded jealously in order for one to enjoy the other rights. Although currently, the right to life is not absolute, it is increasingly becoming clear in international human rights standards that even hard-core criminals have rights, among these, the right to life until the creator decides to take it away from them. It is extremely important to take note of the fact that death penalty is not a punishment because the culprit is never given chance to reform. Death penalty contravenes the constitution and other international laws. Article 20 (1) of the Constitution says, “Fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual are inherent and not granted by the state”. The state uses the death penalty in a selective manner. One wonders how decisions are made on which case deserves a death sentence and which one does not. What yardstick is used to decide which offender deserves a death sentence, and which one deserves imprisonment? Any crime is potentially big depending on who has been wronged. To a political leader, such as the president, treason is one of the worst crimes one can commit, while to other people, theft may be worse than treason. Rev. Kaiso needs to scrutinize the advantages and disadvantages of death penalty. As a man of God, he will be surprised to discover there is more to gain in reconciliation than in destruction. Death penalty is the highest form of intolerance. Worst of all it may be applied to innocent people because of the inadequacies and limitations of the law. There are many instances worldwide where individuals have been hanged only to find out later that they were innocent. But the harm is already done and it is irreversible. Death penalty does not benefit anyone — neither the offender nor the aggrieved.So long as mankind continues live on earth, there will always be criminal activities for various reasons. Incarceration and imprisonment are so far the best choices we have. Complete elimination of offenders through capital punishment is like drawing water from the lake using a spoon. No matter how many criminals are hanged, more will come up. The state has the duty to protect all its citizens and to help the offenders to reform.The writer is a human rights activist

QUOTABLE QUOTE BY MUTABAZI SAM STEWART

“Human rights can be equated to a universal religion whose mission is to make the world better. Human Rights defenders must evangelize and propagate Human Rights beliefs and tenets to all peoples of the world with a purpose of attaining a fairer and freedom-filled universe”
(Author: Mutabazi Sam Stewart 19th February 2009)

Taxation without services is tyranny

By Mutabazi Sam Stewart

The level of development of a country is determined by the wealth of its people. The richer the people the more likely the richer the country and the reverse is also true. Accordingly therefore, Uganda is a poor country because its people are poor. The debate about which solutions are most effective in the fight against poverty in Uganda are as interesting as they are confusing to the population.
Ugandans seem to be split between accepting the declared rosy figures of poverty reduction during the 22 years of the NRM government and the actual reality of the not so comfortable standards of living of majority of people both in the countryside and in towns.
Independent minded observers rightly think that the current government has to a great extent transformed the economy. A big number of "bourgeoisie" (middle class) has been added to the meager group that existed prior to 1986.
This argument is further enhanced by the evidence of the economic miracle brought forth by the carefully planned but wrongly executed policy of economic liberalization that has made the private sector especially in a few urban centres buoyant than the situation was under the mixed economy before 1990. But the question that continues to bother many people is; what have the taxes we've been paying all these years done? There is no medicine in hospitals, many roads are impassable, including those in the city centre, costs of education are about to run people nuts.
And wait a minute; the parliament just recently approved a new tax - the local service tax - that will further milk the already emaciated folks of the Ugandan public. The introduction of that tax could have come at a worse time when workers both in the formal and informal sector are reflecting on their plight.
Government revenue through taxation has more than tripled since 1986, excluding grants from development partners. Uganda's total revenue collection in 1986 was approximately 900 million dollars as compared to the current 3.5 billion dollars.
Whereas the total debt burden for the country was about 800 million dollars in 1986, it now stands at a whopping 4 billion dollars in spite of the fact that Uganda was recently one of the few Highly Indebted Poor Counties (HIPC) that benefited from massive debt cancellation arrangement from the Paris group of creditor nations where up to 4 billion dollars of its external debt was rescinded.
People everywhere do not like paying taxes. It is bad when such taxes are direct. It is worse when majority of the people have a perception that the taxes they pay are not being put to good use.
Although in economic terms a tax is a non quid pro quo (amount paid is not necessarily equal to service rendered) payment, it is supposed to be an unstated agreement, that the money they pay should be comparable to the services they receive.
It may make unpleasant reading to you that while you have been suffering under the weight of new taxes, a lot of this is being used to support an unsustainable and quite ineffective size of public administration.
Structural Adjustment Policies (SAPs) by the IMF and the World Bank resulted into the loss of jobs for many ordinary Ugandans who were supporting hundreds of ordinary people.
That however failed to stop the growth of government's expenditure. On the contrary, the size of Uganda's public administration has not only become a point of ridicule but of immense pain to Ugandans who are having to dig deep in their pockets to support it.
The only difference was that public enterprises, though not profitable did not require enormous budgets from government to sustain themselves.
Although government extended subsides to these companies in form of grants and tax waivers, the situation could not be compared to the current scenario where government has to foot the total cost of maintaining new institutions. The cost of running these departments has to be solely bone by the tax payer.
In the current situation of an almost stagnant economy and increased prices for most commodities, the low income earners have to bear the full brunt of spending more in form of taxes amidst static wages.
The creation of more districts, slots for members of parliament, more statutory bodies has further compounded the situation. Local governments at district level have pressured government into reintroducing graduated tax, now called Local Government Tax.
This reminds me of a quotation by the famous writer Henry Mencken that "When a new source of taxation is found it never means, in practice, that the old source is abandoned. It merely means that the politicians have two ways of milking the taxpayer where they had one before".
It is true that most districts (old and new) are suffocating due to low revenue. Even the poorest districts expect to squeeze their already impoverished residents to pay this tax in order to pay innumerable district staff that hardly have any purpose apart from attending workshops and meeting and reading newspapers.
Most of the districts especially the new ones are facing a bleak future even after the introduction of the new local service tax. Many are just not viable. It is a matter of time that they ask the central government to re-annex them.
The current status where districts cannot provide services to their people but spend the largest percentage of their revenue to pay their salaries is frightful and a recipe for economic pestilence for the whole country.
Taxation, just like medicine, is only good when administered in moderation; its consequences can be catastrophic when the patient (read people) is forced to take an overdose.


Published May 02, 2008. The writer is a human rights activist:mutasamste@yahoo.com Tel: 0772-882547

OTHER REGIONS ARE NOT BUGANDA’S CONCERN!

By Salongo Emmanuel Muwanga

SIR— For quite sometime, several people have expressed opinions against Buganda’s proposals, especially on federo (federalism). Sam Stewart Mutabazi in the guest writer’s column of your August 24 edition, page 11, makes a number of arguments. Firstly, he says although federo will uplift Buganda, only Buganda will gain from this type of governance while the rest of Uganda has everything to lose. Secondly, he argues that the federo agitators in Buganda are not “nationalistic” because they don’t explain its effect on the rest of Uganda. I wish to emphasize that Uganda is not a nation and nationalism should not be seen in Uganda’s context only but in the context of the nations that make up the state of Uganda. When Baganda urge for federo, they are fighting for their nation, Buganda. How federo affects the other regions (Mutabazi seems to suggest economic effect), is not the responsibility of Baganda but of the people s of these other regions. All regions should strive to uplift themselves, and the earlier they realise this, the better. Thirdly, Mutabazi argues that federo can’t ensure that resources flow from richer Buganda to poorer regions. Now, does Buganda owe these other regions a living? What right do the poor regions so-called have to milk Buganda for their own development? Fourthly, Mutabazi says Mengo is not explaining the role it wants the Kabaka to play under federo. In my view, the Baganda know the role they want the Kabaka to play. Non-Baganda like Mutabazi should not be bothered because the Kabaka will never have power in their regions save only in Buganda. When I read opinions like those of Mutabazi and many more, I come to the conclusion that all other regions want to be parasites on Buganda and that Buganda should be milked in order to develop other regions. That is the main cause of the hatred towards Buganda. The scenario is not sustainable, a t least in the long term.

Salongo Emmanuel Muwanga Ndejje - Kyaddondo Wakiso District
Published on: Saturday, 4th September, 2004

INDETERMINATE HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING; THE LONG ROUTE OF UGANDA’S DEVELOPMENT PATH

A paper presented at the 6th Uganda Society Scientific Conference 17th -18th December 2008 at Kyambogo University.

Key words: Human Resource, Planning, Development


Introduction
Economic, social and political transformation of any society is largely determined by the level of investment that particular society has put in its human resource. Human resource is the single most important resource for any society (country) to be able to achieve meaningful economic development which is sustainable because human beings are the agents of development. This paper explores and makes a critique of Uganda’s journey since independence to date, scrutinizing efforts, policies and programmes put in place by government and other development partners to develop the country, through human resource empowerment. The paper offers an insight on the prevailing bottlenecks and challenges that have hindered the process of attaining positive human resource transformation over the years. It evaluates Uganda’s situation vis-à-vis scenarios obtaining in various developing countries mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and makes a comparison of mechanisms and policies employed by developed nations to transform their economies through deliberate human resource planning and intervention policies. The paper also analyses the controversy surrounding the recommended policy by the government of Uganda to promote and emphasize Science based subjects rather than Arts courses as a unified measure of causing development in the country. The paper makes a strong case for the need of deliberate long-term strategic planning of Uganda’s human capital that is tangible, well defined and meticulous.




Human Resources Development (HRD)
HRD is a process whereby individuals learn through experience to be more effective. It aims to help people utilize the skills and knowledge that training and education has given them, not only in their current jobs but also for future posts as well. It embodies concepts such as psychological growth, maturity and increased confidence. (Steve 1998). HRD is the integrated use of training, career development and organizational development to improve personal and organizational effectiveness. (Ralph Stone1997) HRD is a label covering a wide range of activities which should lead to better capabilities and hence effectiveness of the human resource. (Allan Fowler: 2003).

Human Resources Development is a framework for the expansion of human capital within an organization or country. It is a combination of training and education that ensures the continual improvement and growth of both the individual and the organization. When you are educated and trained, you are likely to develop your career, social and economic life. Development is therefore both qualitative and quantitative change in an individual. HRD activities are designed to produce change in the physical and mental efforts people put in their work; produce behavioral change of employees; produce greater capabilities of individuals within the organization and help individuals realize their potential.

Adam Smith states,” The capacities of individuals depended on their access to education”. (Kelly D, 2001) Human Resources Development is the medium that drives the process between training and learning. Human Resources Development is not a defined object, but a series of organized processes, “with a specific learning objective” (Nadler, 1984) Human Resources Development is the structure that allows for individual development, potentially satisfying the organization’s goals. The development of the individual will benefit both the individual and the organization. The Human Resources Development framework views employees, as an asset to the enterprise whose value will be enhanced by development, “Its primary focus is on growth and employee development…it emphasizes developing individual potential and skills” (Elwood, olton and Trott 1996) Human Resources Development can be in-room group training, tertiary or vocational courses or mentoring and coaching by senior employees with the aim for a desired outcome that will develop the individual’s performance.

A successful Human Resources Development program will prepare the individual to undertake a higher level of work, “organized learning over a given period of time, to provide the possibility of performance change” (Nadler 1984). Human Resources Development is the framework that focuses on the organizations competencies at the first stage, training, and then developing the employee, through education, to satisfy the organizations long-term needs and the individuals’ career goals and employee value to their present and future employers.

Human Resources Development can be defined simply as developing the most important section of any business its human resource by, “attaining or upgrading the skills and attitudes of employees at all levels in order to maximize the effectiveness of the enterprise” (Kelly 2001) The people within an organization are its human resource. Human Resources Development from a business perspective is not entirely focused on the individual’s growth and development, “development occurs to enhance the organization's value, not solely for individual improvement. Individual education and development is a tool and a means to an end, not the end goal itself”. (Elwood F. Holton II, James W. Trott Jr) HRD starts at individual and organizational levels but ultimately it benefits the whole country. This calls for government to give a helping hand to organizations and companies to continuously improve their human resources. The activity of developing human resources can never be left to the private sector alone. There must be a comprehensive policy by the state to plan for the same over a very long period of time.

Importance of Human Resource Development
Human Resource is the most Important and vital Factor of Economic Development. It can be said that humans are the agents of development. Human Resource or Human Capital are important because:1) Country Develops if The Human Resource is Developed: To enhance economic development the state constructs roads, buildings bridges, dams, power houses, hospitals, etc. to run these units doctors, engineers, scientist, teachers, are required. So if the state invests in a human resource it pays dividend in response.2) Increase in Productivity: The better education, improved skills, and provision of healthy atmosphere will result in proper and most efficient use of resources (non-natural & natural) which will result in increase in economic production.
3) Eradication of Social and Economic Backwardness: Human Resource development has an ample effect on the backwardness economy and society. The provision of education will ultimately have a positive impact on the way of thinking for the majority hence transformation

EDUCATION & TRAINING

Education is the process whose purposes are to impart knowledge and develop the way mental faculties are used. Education is not primarily concerned with job performance. (Kempton John; 1998) Educating oneself has become the hallmark of our times. Formal education equips the individual with logical, rational and disciplined way of thinking (McDonald Kimberly: 1991). This endeavors to impart knowledge, skills and necessary attitudes to perform job related tasks. (Cascio Wayne: 1998). Training is performance based and competence driven. It is about improved job performance and behavioral change.

EDUCATION & HUMAN RESOURCES FOR UGANDA
Uganda was previously known to be an education power house not only in East Africa but the rest of the world as well because of its competitive education systems. Government has allowed the standards to consistently decline in spite of the outcry from both the academic world and other social circles. Another classic example of the deteriorating standards of education systems in Uganda, apart from UPE is Makerere University that has over the years been falling in international university world rankings. According to the latest rankings of world universities updated in January 2008, the 86-year old university is now placed at number 47th, seven steps up from where it was last year. Although the ranking has improved, infrastructure and learning atmosphere has not changed at all. Unless radical changes are introduced at the Ivory Tower, as it used to be called, the university’s international and national status will continue to decline which will ultimately affect its academic products.

Developing countries don’t have enough well trained human resources. Those who are well trained usually find it difficult to offer their services in their countries because they are paid low wages. In Uganda for instance not withstanding the fact that the country produces few doctors and other medical professionals, the few that are trained end up going to developed countries where they expect to get better pay than they would get if they stayed around. Brain drain is seriously hampering the efforts of developing nations by making the already bad situation to become worse.

Uganda has over 20 registered Universities majority of which are private. They produce approximately 20,000 graduates annually who qualify in various fields (NCHE 2007). Although government has come out to emphasize that students should be encouraged to study science courses, this policy is still shrouded in mystery. Many courses being offered in the country remain largely inappropriate due to poor planning and forecasting. Some courses that were introduced at public universities long time ago are still being taught in the same form and content almost fifty years ever since. For example Makerere University under its faculty of Arts continues to teach the course of History that is completely irrelevant and out of touch with Uganda’s development needs. This is not to say that history should not be taught in our schools. It should only be taught in as far as it is relevant and should as much as possible be relevant to Uganda’s aspirations.

Universal Primary Education (UPE) which was introduced by government in 1997 was a well intentioned programme, if well implemented would have had enormous positive impact on the development trend of the country in the years to come. It has however been roundly criticized and rightly so because it was hurriedly introduced without carefully considering the likely upheavals it would encounter. Hardly was any consultation done. It was as if the whole programme would work miraculously. The consequence as has been a high dropout rate of children from schools and other attendant problems.

Perhaps the biggest criticism about UPE has been the continuous decline in education standards in majority of schools where the programme is implemented. There have been consistent allegations that students who go through UPE schools are not as knowledgeable compared to the ones who go through private ones. Primary education being the foundation and most important level where an individual attains critical aspects of academic self realization means that Uganda is going to face a greater challenge in future when the children who are benefitting from such a poor education finally become part of the pool of human resources that are supposed to drive the country towards development. Uganda will have to incur extra expenses to retrain such people and at the same time we are going to face a serious challenge because such people are not easy to retrain compared to those who are groomed in their early education life. It is very pertinent that government realizes early enough that few best trained persons are better than many ill trained persons who are as good as illiterate.

The development direction of any country is largely determined by the legacy of its institutions of higher learning (Bratton John 1998). Universities form the backbone of any country’s development aspirations. They are pioneers of research and development ideas. They help to refocus the development goals of a country. Where universities are not well facilitated countries will have problems to achieve meaningful development because the people who are supposed to champion development are mediocre. The earlier a country invests in its human resource and specifically in the education system, the earlier it will reap the benefits there from. This is not to say that government has not achieved anything in as far as education of its citizens and planning for its human resource is concerned.

Government efforts for instance in establishing the National Council for Higher Education (NCHE), a body responsible for ensuring quality higher education and regulation universities, must be recommended. This institution must however be supported and encouraged to ensure it lives up to the expectations of the wider public. NCHE must be strict in enforcing its regulations and should guarantee that universities that don’t meet minimum standards are told to improve in the shortest possible time or completely closed down when they fail to comply. NCHE should also put in place monitoring systems such that all institutions of higher learning in Uganda maintain the highest standards possible at all times. Only through this way, can we produce and maintain human resources that are up to the challenge of developing the country.

HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING (HRP)
In order for a country to attain consistent and meaningful human resource development, it must make human resource planning a priority because without it, resource development and development itself may either be hard to achieve or it may take a longer period than is necessary. According to Decenzo and Robins (1996), human resource planning is defined as “a process by which an organization ensures that it has the right number and kinds of people, at the right places, at the right time, capable of effectively and efficiently completing those tasks that will help the organization (country) to achieve its overall objectives”. The implication of this is that HRP translates the country’s development objectives and plans into the number of workers needed to accomplish the tasks at hand.
In sum therefore, HRP is a systematic and continuous process of analyzing a country’s human resource needs, with the view of developing appropriate HR policies to fill them. Human resource planning is a dynamic process. It needs to integrate with the wider national objectives through strategic development and manpower planning. The key elements to ensure the achievement of these objectives are: fair and appropriate selection practices; identification of overall skills profile; investment in training and development; and anticipation of supply and demand. HRP ensures that people (human capital) are available for the smooth running of the state in every department and for every work or activity and assess the country’s position in terms of demand and supply of human resources in view of the changing circumstances. It matches the demand and the supply of all human resources geared towards fulfilling the country’s development agenda.

STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING
Strategy is a means to an end i.e. a plan, policy, course of action, approach, and tactic, line of attack, manner, method, mode or practice used regularly to attain a goal. It is also a means to succeed. The concept of strategy is defined by Johnson and Scholes (1993) as: ‘the direction and scope of the organization over the longer term, which ideally matches its resources to its changing environment and in particular, its markets, customers, and clients to meet stakeholder expectations’. The strategic management process involves the Visioning and developing a mission statement, setting objectives, crafting a strategy to achieve the performance objectives, implementing and executing the strategy evaluating performance, reviewing the situation and initiating corrective adjustments.

SHRP is an integrated approach of ensuring that plans and decisions regarding human resource requirements of the organization are carefully matched with both short term and long term business strategy. A business strategy should take the changing environment and how its affects the future performance of the organization. The benefits of strategic approach to managing human resources provides better guidance to the entire nation to the crucial issue of what the government is trying to do and how to do it. It makes government more alert to the winds of change, new opportunities and threatening developments and provides technocrats with a rationale to evaluate competing budget requests from various sectors of the economy. It also helps to unify the numerous government strategies and creates a more proactive management and counter acting tendencies for decisions to be reactive and defensive.

Factors that may have an impact on strategic human resource planning:
Political instability- it leads to migration of productive and most needed labor force ( brain drain), capital flight, inequality of incomes etc
Taxation- tax evasion, tax avoidance
Demographic factors i.e. changes in population structure.
Structure of the population.
Technological changes.
Rules and regulation on employment.
Mechanization of production.
Globalization has an impact /bearing on competitiveness.
Privatization.
Public service Divestiture Reform Program.

Assessing current Human Resources
The major concern of manpower planning is to make effective use of people through proper forecasting of the right number and kind of people required. Conducting an analysis of the present position of Uganda’s human resource, which documents the number of workers, their skills and experience is essential. Currently it is very difficult to get reliable data on all human resources in the country. What seems to be the norm is to make rough estimates about categories of persons and the skills they hold. With modern technology, the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) is utilized to generate this information. Internal analysis is best accomplished through job analysis which comprises of three major components i.e. job description, person specifications and job evaluation. A good job analysis is helpful in identifying the kinds of individuals government needs most or those that are most relevant according to prevailing needs. Government should provide guidance for decisions about training, career development to avoid people training in irrelevant courses that hardly have impact on its programmes. HRP analysis would help government to answer the “where are we and where do we want to go?” question in terms of the HR needs through human resource inventories. We have to match HR to the future requirements of the country and ensure the availability of distinctive capabilities and competences of the various cadres in different crucial fields

Technology with which international companies are producing their goods and services are rapidly changing. And this has a direct impact on Uganda’s human resources and development in general. Improved technology may require fewer people to do the job that has previously been done by many people. As a result, the demand for manpower may greatly reduce. Those with skills that are not very relevant may be laid off. In addition Ugandans must appreciate the essence of productivity. Employee productivity refers to the output per man-hour. If the employee productivity is high, it means that fewer people are producing more output. Companies would therefore require fewer individuals to produce the required output levels hence cutting costs. They must as well be punctual and desist from absenting themselves from work. Government must develop policies and methods of forecasting by using ratio trend analysis and simple arithmetic formula to arrive at desired human resource requirements for the whole country. It should also develop standards for numbers and levels of employees that are needed to do certain work by estimating the manpower demands based on past experiences and on a comprehensive national manpower and human resource plan.

Manpower Requirements
The balance between the outcomes of supply and demand forecasting determines future manpower requirements. This however, should be interpreted in line with future government development plans, depending on its priorities. The diagram below illustrates how government can ably implement simple but achievable versatile human resources through planning.

IMPLEMENTATION OF HRP (Manpower action Planning)

Rigorous HR planning links people management to the organization's mission, vision, goals and objectives, as well as its strategic plan and budgetary resources. A key goal of HR planning is to get the right number of people with the right skills, experience and competencies in the right jobs at the right time at the right cost. Implementation of the HRP is the final stage of the traditional HRP process. It is also considers the evaluation of the overall effectiveness. Implementation of plans involves consulting various stakeholders on what they think could be the manpower deficits and how they can adequately be addressed. The resource gaps identified become the leading determinants in meeting human resource targets. The main plan is he HRD plan under which, interest is put on: the number of people required for particular jobs and the programme for training them. There is also need to develop a control plan which relates the extent to which the planning process has contributed to the effective and efficient utilization of human resources and ultimately to the achievement of national objectives. Therefore the control plan will set out monitoring procedures to ensure that the targets set are achieved.


Conclusion
In conclusion there is need for government to determine human resource needs, establish human resource management policy, undertake Human Resource Development and make national development analysis to stay ahead of the ever changing global dynamics that in most cases have direct effects on our economy. Emphasis must be put to higher education, specifically at University level by dedicating more resources especially in the area of research. Development can never be achieved by chance. It has to be through deliberate well-defined programmes, executed through carefully thought-through planning. A country’s manpower largely determines its level of development. No country has ever developed throughout human history without investing in its human resources and in high quality education for its citizens. Uganda will not be the exception of this rule.