Kampala – November 1, 2017 – The Prime Minister of Uganda, His Excellency Dr. Ruhakana Rugunda, launched Uganda’s second country review exercise under the auspices of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) this morning at his Office in Kampala.

The launch took place in the presence of Bishop Dinis Sengulane, member of the APRM Panel of Eminent Persons and lead panelist for Uganda, who arrived in the country on 28 November 2017 leading a team of about 20 leading experts from over ten African countries as well as four of the five APRM Strategic Partners – the United nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Development Bank (AfDB), and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). Also present at the launch was the CEO of the APRM Continental Secretariat, Prof. Eddy Maloka.

The Prime Minister warmly welcomed Bishop and his team, emphasised Uganda’s pioneering role in the APRM not only by being one of a small number of founding members but also the 7th country to undergo the first review and only the second country – next only to Kenya – to undertake the second-generation review. The Prime Minister also emphasised that the external review team is in the country to, among others, establish the extent to which the Country Self-Assessment Report (CSAR) in fact reflects the views of a wide cross-section of Ugandans, and whether the CSAR provides a credible account of the state of governance. The Prime Minister concluded by calling upon all stakeholders at the national and regional levels “to participate in the country review mission activities and to cooperate with the country review team as it conducts its review” and, in doing so, to keep in mind that “this process would produce the Country Review Report for Uganda that H.E. the president would present to his ‘Peers’ at the APR Summit in January 2018.”

On his part, Bishop Sengulane expressed his appreciation to the Prime Minister and the Government and People of Uganda “for their warm welcome to this beautiful country”. The Lead Panellist expressed his appreciation to the members of the NGC for the high quality of the CSAR that was produced under their supervision and responsibility. Finally, Bishop Sengulane emphasised that the APRM is a home-grown mechanism that “affords an opportunity for stakeholders in government, civil society and the private sector to reflect collectively on governance, address deficiencies, and share best practices” and reassured the Prime Minister that the review team he leads is here to contribute to this noble goal in good faith and in the spirit of fraternity.

Although the official launch took place today, the review team commenced its engagements already on 30 November when it held a highly constructive meeting with several members of the National Governing Council (NGC), which was held in the premises of the National Planning Authority (NPA). The NGC, led by its chairperson Dr Robert Okello, welcomed the review team, presented highlights of the CSAR, and invited his colleagues as well as thematic experts to engage with the team on the content of the CSAR as well as the methodology by which it was prepared.

On 31 November, the review team paid a courtesy visit to the Honourable David Bhati, State Minister of Planning and APRM National Focal Point, who welcomed the Bishop Sengulane and his team warmly and assured the preparedness of the country and the Government to work with him to make this a success.
The Country Review Team will continue its engagements with various stakeholders in Ugandan society, first in the capital Kampala and then in each of the four regions. The team expects to conclude its mission on 13 November 2017 after a debriefing meeting with H. E. Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda.