The Parliamentary Presidential Affairs Committee has recommended the allocation of an additional Shs2 billion for the construction of offices and accommodation for Resident District Commissioners (RDCs), citing ongoing challenges related to office space and the sustainability of rental arrangements.
While presenting the report on the 2026/27 Ministerial Policy Statement for the Office of the Presidency, the Chairperson of the Presidential Affairs Committee, Alex Byarugaba, revealed that out of RDCs deployed across 746 administrative units, 107 are currently operating from rented premises, 24 are accommodated by District Local Governments, while only 15 are housed in offices constructed by the Office of the President.
Byarugaba explained that the existing RDC offices were constructed at a unit cost of Shs700 million, with implementation progressing at a rate of only one office per financial year since the 2012/13 financial year.
“The Committee observes that rentals are not sustainable, hence the need to construct at least five offices per year to accommodate more RDCs,” Byarugaba said.
“The Committee recommends that Shs2 billion be availed for construction of four offices, which would translate into five offices each Financial Year, starting FY2026/27 so as to guarantee suitable office accommodation for RDCs in the medium term,” he added.
The committee argued that increasing investment in RDC infrastructure would reduce recurrent expenditure on rent while improving working conditions and operational efficiency for RDCs and their deputies.
In addition to infrastructure concerns, the Office of the President also requested an extra Shs41.70 billion to facilitate RDC operations across the country.
However, according to the committee report, only Shs36.046 billion has been provided in the FY2026/27 indicative budget, leaving a funding shortfall of approximately Shs5.657 billion.
Members of Parliament called on the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to provide the required funds, arguing that inadequate facilitation of RDCs negatively affects implementation of government programmes, supervision of public services, and monitoring of government projects.
The committee therefore recommended that the Shs5.657 billion funding gap be addressed to enable RDCs effectively execute their duties.
Resident District Commissioners serve as representatives of the President in districts and play a key role in monitoring government programmes, coordinating security matters, and supervising service delivery at local government level.
