The Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, together with its agencies, the National Information Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U), Posta Uganda and in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Service conducted a site inspection of the newly renovated Service Uganda Centre in Tororo.
Joined by Tororo’s local leadership including Tororo Municipality’s Deputy Mayor, Beatrice Achola, Deputy Resident District Commissioner, Fahira Mpalanyi and the Town Clerk, Alikwan Ayub Kisubi among others, the inspection focused on assessing the progress towards finalizing renovation works and determining the centre’s readiness for full operations.
The Tororo Service Uganda Centre is one of 19 Service Uganda Centres planned nationwide under the Ministry of Public Service’s One-Stop Centre model. These facilities bring multiple government services including national ID verification, tax and TIN registration, business registration, passport applications and driving permits under a single roof, eliminating the need for citizens to move between offices scattered across town.
The model forms part of Government’s broader public service reform agenda aimed at delivering more accessible and citizen-centred services.
NITA-U, through the Uganda Digital Acceleration Project - Government Network (UDAP-GovNet), is supporting the renovation of three pilot centres in Tororo, Mbarara and Gulu, complementing the wider nationwide rollout led by the Ministry of Public Service.
Commending the progress observed during the inspection, Dr. Aminah Zawedde, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of ICT and National Guidance said she was encouraged by what she had observed at the facility.
"The layout clearly prioritise accessibility and user convenience, which is essential for meaningful public service improvement," Dr.Zawedde said.
She added that reliable internet connectivity through NITA-U’s National Backbone Infrastructure Phase V project (NBI Phase V) will significantly improve the efficiency of Service Uganda Centres. She concluded by emphasising that Government’s role extends beyond infrastructure to the rollout of digital services for both the public and private sectors, while ensuring online safety.
“Upon completion, this site will be transformed into a modern, fully functional service centre. This achievement results from the strong partnership between the Ministry of ICT and National Guidance, NITA-U, the Ministry of Public Service, Posta Uganda as the hosting partner, contractors and supervising consultants," said Dr. Hatwib Mugasa, Executive Director of NITA-U.
He noted that once fully operational, the Tororo centre will provide digital services that expand job opportunities for the youth, enable residents to communicate grievances to government entities more quickly without travelling to other cities, and serve as a training hub to boost local innovation and digital solutions.
Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Service stressed the need for timely operationalisation.
“The people of Tororo have waited long enough for such a facility. Our focus now is to ensure full completion so that the centre can open to the public and begin delivering services as expected.”
She added that the Ministry of Public Service will continue to work closely with all stakeholders to ensure the successful delivery of the project.
Mr. James Arinaitwe, Managing Director of Posta Uganda, reaffirmed Posta Uganda’s commitment to the initiative stating that the goal of the service centres is to reduce the burden of long-distance travel for citizens seeking public services and to improve the overall quality of service delivery.
The Tororo Service Uganda Centre reflects a wider shift in how government services are delivered in Uganda moving away from fragmented offices and long queues towards a single, modern point of access.
Six pilot centres are already operational under the program in Entebbe, Kasese, Jinja, Arua, Hoima and at the Ministry of Public Service headquarters. Hoima has become the first regional site to open, while the remaining 18 centres, including Tororo, are at various stages of preparation.
