Top officials from the Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development, both administrative and technical, have commenced a three-day in-house workshop at Jinja Resort Hotel to review the Ministry's performance and chart strategies for improved service delivery and visibility.
The retreat, which is also expected to draft the Ministry's budget priorities, was officially opened today by the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development, Gen. Henry Tumukunde.

In his opening remarks, Gen. Tumukunde warned that his tenure must be marked by productivity and results. He cautioned staff against underperformance and working in silos, emphasizing that all personnel must execute their duties diligently and with measurable impact.
"We MUST do our duties diligently and impactfully. I will not sit and watch some staff underperform or do things their own way," Gen. Tumukunde stated.
Meanwhile, the State Minister for Disability Affairs, Hon. Acan Joyce Okeny, raised alarm over the rampant grabbing of land belonging to rehabilitation centres across the country.
Hon. Acan noted that the continued encroachment has severely constrained service delivery, with centres losing vital space for vocational training, shelter and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities. She cited disturbing cases in Lweza where permanent structures have been erected on centre land, and in Rukungiri and Ocoko in Arua where boundaries have been altered and portions fenced off by neighbours.

She singled out Lira for special concern, revealing cases of deliberate under-declaration of Council land, where one piece of land measuring over 60 acres was declared as 30 acres and another of 100 acres was recorded as 50 acres, in what she described as a ploy to facilitate grabbing.
"This land was reserved to restore dignity for persons with disabilities. Losing it means denying vulnerable Ugandans their only chance at independent living," Hon. Acan said.
In a firm directive, Gen. Tumukunde instructed the Acting Permanent Secretary, Mr. Alex Asiimwe, to immediately secure funds for the fencing of all vulnerable Ministry land, with urgent priority given to Lweza Rehabilitation Centre.
Gen. Tumukunde further directed Hon. Acan to formally write to all individuals who have encroached on the Lweza land, notifying them of the Ministry's intention to evict them, with a clear instruction that anything to do with big-headed encroachers should be referred directly to his office.
"Let them come to me. I will know how to handle them. I want to see who they are and what they think they can do to me," Gen. Tumukunde said.

He issued a stern warning to all encroachers occupying government rehabilitation land in Lweza, Ocoko in Arua, Rukungiri, and Lira, ordering them to vacate immediately.
"Anyone illegally occupying rehabilitation centre land will be evicted without further notice. They should prepare to leave now before they are forcibly removed. This land belongs to vulnerable Ugandans and we shall recover every inch of it," Gen. Tumukunde warned.
He further sounded a stern warning to staff, stating that any Ministry or government official found complicit in the illegal acquisition of this land will be dealt with decisively.
"Should we find any Ministry or government official involved at any stage, they will lose their jobs without mercy. We can't tolerate in-house corruption of that stature. I'm already getting disturbing rumors about Council lands in Lira and Rukungiri," he added.