Museveni to Reshuffle Permanent Secretaries

President Museveni is preparing a fresh round of changes in the public service, with several Permanent Secretaries expected to be reassigned or moved as part of a wider effort to align government implementation with the priorities of his newly appointed Cabinet.

Highly placed government sources say the President has turned his attention to the technocrats who run ministries and agencies, with performance assessments expected to play a key role in determining who stays, who moves and who could be assigned to more strategic portfolios.

Government insiders say the President has repeatedly expressed concern about implementation gaps between policy decisions and results on the ground, making performance one of the key considerations in the expected redeployments.

The anticipated reshuffle follows last week’s Cabinet appointments and is expected to focus on delivery of key government programmes, including the Parish Development Model (PDM), wealth creation initiatives, industrialisation, export promotion, infrastructure development, digital transformation and revenue mobilisation.

According to officials familiar with the discussions, Museveni wants the next phase of government to be driven by results rather than routine administration.

“The President has already put his political team in place. The next step is ensuring that the technical leadership of the government is aligned with the targets of the new term,” a senior government official said.

Sources indicate that several Permanent Secretaries will be fired to pave way for a new crop of officials to run key ministries.

The reshuffle will be based on a review of the progress in sectors such as health, education, agriculture, ICT, energy, transport, trade and local government, which are central to the government’s economic transformation agenda.

Dockets

Dockets targeted for changes include Ministries of Agriculture, Defence, ICT, Local Government and Internal Affairs and Lands.

Officials disclosed that Permanent Secretaries who are accused of corruption, favouritism and poor performance, will be removed from office.

“It will be a huge shake-up because many of these Permanent Secretaries have underperformed in the last five years,” said a source in the presidency.

“Many will be out of office because their reviews are not good at all.”

Sources said those who have registered notable achievements in implementing government programmes will be deployed to more demanding ministries, while others may be transferred to areas where their expertise is considered most needed.

Permanent Secretaries serve as accounting officers and administrative heads of ministries, making them critical to translating Cabinet decisions into action. Their performance often determines the pace at which government programmes are implemented.

The planned changes are understood to be part of a broader strategy to strengthen accountability and accelerate delivery of services during Museveni’s new 2026–2031 term.

Read Next Article