Ben Kumumanya, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Local Government, communicated this in a letter urging all local government agencies to prioritise the communication function in local government.
“As you are aware, Government developed a communication strategy to guide Ministries, Departments, Agencies and Local Governments, (MDALGS) to establish well-coordinated communication system to engage with the public. The strategy further requires all ministries, departments, agencies and local governments, to establish and facilitate communication units in order to implement the strategy,” reads in part, the letter seen by Nile Post.
Kumumanya said that during his recent interactions with some local government communication officers, he noted that support to the communication function is still negligible and largely minimal in most local governments.
He pointed out that that it is very essential that the public knows what government has done, is doing and intends to do in terms of service delivery and that this should be done through effective communication using all the available platforms.
In line with the above, the permanent secretary guided the chief administrative officers to prioritize and engage district communication officers for purposes of information management and dissemination as well as effective communication on the implementation of government projects and programs.
“In addition, you should fill vacant positions of communications officers in your local governments and support them within the available resources,"Kumumanya said.
He also urged local councils to utilize the free government airtime provided by media proprietors to inform and educate the public on government programs.
“The purpose of this communication is to forward to you the above guidance for your urgent action and management accordingly,” he said.