By Julius Peter Ochen
Like a parent with schoolgoing children, President Museveni has over the last 13 years expressed concern over some humanity and business courses being offered at the universities in Uganda. Emphasizing rightly so that these courses are only compounding the unemployment situation amongst Ugandan graduates. One such course that has gotten a thorough beating of the President, is Bachelor of Community Psychology introduced by Makerere University in the early 2000s.
Drawing from the President’s concern, public universities responded by reviewing their course list and scrapping those, they agreed with the President as outlived their usefulness such as Bachelor of Library and Information Science, Bachelor of Archives and Records Management, Bachelor of Science in Construction Management among others, all of Makerere University.
While celebrating the 2026 International Labour Day in Buikwe District, President Museveni added Procurement to the list of his concerns. The President said he does not see professional jobs that graduates of procurement can create for themselves, or what development challenges are being addressed by procurement as a professional discipline. It is important to elevate the President's Knowledge that procurement has undergone a profound transformation, evolving from administrative support to a strategic function that is pivotal to performance and governance.
The influence of procurement as a discipline now extends beyond price and cost considerations, encompassing risk management, innovation, and sustainability requiring professionalism. Effective procurement integrates with corporate strategy, shaping governance cultures and reputations world over.
In fact, the journey of procurement as a strategic discipline has never suffered an accident of times and it can be traced back to early societies, where the acquisition of resources was essential for human survival. Ancient civilizations relied on designated individuals to source and manage goods, laying the foundations of structured procurement that we have today.
In Egypt, Pharaohs appointed officials to oversee the acquisition of stones, timbers, and labour for monumental construction projects. These practices demonstrate early recognition of procurement as a central activity underpinning societal development and governance.
With increased professionalization through training, particularly since the late twentieth century, the responsibility of procurement extended beyond contract administration, influencing the development of supplier ecosystems that underpin institutional resilience. The Professionals are now expected to lead with insight, ensuring alignment not only in financial outcomes but also in compliance, ethics, and sustainability requiring leadership, negotiation, and strategic foresight.
It was from the above acknowledgement that in 2003, Parliament of Uganda enacted the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Act, subsequently establishing the Public Procurement and Disposal Public Assets Authority. It was the same year that Kyambogo University introduced Bachelor of Procurement and Logistics Management to professionalize government commitment to attainment of social economic transformation and sustainable infrastructural development. The course introduction was a response to government demand and global best practices. It can not be discarded now.
After the establishment of PPDA in 2003, the government moved to institute Procurement and Disposal Units (PDUs) in all the MDAs to professionalize tender processes in acquisition of all works, goods and services. These PDUs have over time handled complex contracting processes and contracts managements in millions and billions of dollars like the constructions of airports, dams, highways and railways.
From intricate acquisition of military arsenals to cleaning services of streets and offices. It can be argued that some of these contracts did not meet citizens’ expectations, but it could have looked uglier if it did not have the professional touches.
It should not offend the president to bring to his further attention that from Uganda's UGX 84.3trillion 2026 Financial Act, about UGX 27.8 trillion will be spent through procurement, ultimately demanding qualified professionals to get it done well.
The discipline is now part of governance frameworks that emphasize accountability, transparency, and compliance. Specifically, public procurement is now a fundamental, crucial component tool for achieving strategic aspirations of governments such as poverty reduction, social and environmental protection, creating fiscal space and jobs, stimulating private sector growth, advancing international relations and sustainable development.
Besides, there are multiple procurement audits firms emerging in our economy in response to demand for scrutiny of public funds, consequently creating more jobs for the professionals within the discipline.
Nevertheless, procurement faces challenges such as misalignment with corporate objectives, stakeholder resistance, and governance failures. Cases of inefficiency, corruption, or compliance lapses illustrate potential risks when procurement is poorly managed. A balanced approach requires accountability, transparency, and alignment with broader government development objectives as outlined in NDP IV.
The writer is a public policy and regulatory impact analyst with focus on the Accountability Sector of government.
