Mityana District has hosted a delegation from Apac District Local Government on a benchmarking visit aimed at learning and replicating best practices in service delivery across key sectors.
The visiting team focused on understanding how Mityana has achieved progress in areas such as production, health, education, and local revenue mobilisation, with the goal of applying similar strategies in Apac.
Welcoming the delegation, Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Jack Byaruhanga expressed appreciation for choosing Mityana as a model district. He attributed the district’s performance to strong collaboration between political leaders and technical staff.
“Mityana is a peaceful and welcoming district. Our success comes from teamwork between leaders and technical officers, which has enabled us to plan and implement programmes effectively for the benefit of our people,” he said.
Byaruhanga highlighted agriculture as the backbone of the district’s economy, noting that farmers are actively engaged in coffee growing, banana farming, and commercial tree planting.
“We encourage you to interact with our teams and learn from the systems we have put in place to achieve these results,” he added.
Leading the visiting delegation, Principal Assistant Secretary Janet Odong thanked Mityana leaders for the warm reception, saying the visit was intended to gather practical knowledge to improve service delivery in Apac.
“We have come to learn practical approaches in production, education, health, and revenue collection. We are confident the knowledge gained here will help us improve service delivery back home,” she said.
Mityana District Speaker Catherine Tusubira Nalweyiso emphasized the importance of harmony between political and technical teams, noting that councillors undergo induction upon assuming office to clearly understand their roles.
“We ensure that leaders are well-oriented and that technical staff work in a supportive environment. This strengthens accountability and improves performance,” she said.
In the education sector, District Inspector of Schools Kifampa Hamidu credited teamwork for the district’s consistent performance in Primary Leaving Examinations over the past five years. However, he highlighted challenges including teacher shortages due to early retirement and illness, as well as limited transport for field officers.
“Despite these challenges, we continue to improvise to ensure regular school inspections and maintain standards,” he explained.
He also noted that the introduction of a biometric attendance system has improved teacher presence, alongside support from religious institutions providing scholastic materials.
In the production sector, District Production Officer Dr. Godfrey Ssemalago emphasized hands-on engagement with farmers through demonstrations and field visits.
“We hold monthly review meetings to track progress and plan ahead. Our extension workers are supported to ensure they deliver services effectively to farmers,” he said.
He added that each of the district’s 14 lower local governments has both crop and veterinary officers, and that the district is actively implementing the Parish Development Model while linking farmers to markets and model farms such as Jesa Farm and poultry enterprises in Busunju.
From the finance department, Ismail Wamala explained that the district has strengthened revenue mobilisation through refresher training conducted at Makerere University.
“We involve parish chiefs in revenue collection, but we also have strict monitoring systems in place to ensure accountability. Any misconduct is dealt with accordingly,” he noted.
The visit highlights growing collaboration among local governments in Uganda, as districts increasingly share experiences and solutions to improve service delivery and promote sustainable development.