Pallisa, Uganda: Pallisa District’s Production Department has received a new project vehicle under the Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation Project (UCSATP) to strengthen supervision, monitoring, and implementation of government agricultural programmes across the district.
The vehicle, registration number UG12000500, was officially handed over on Friday by the Under Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), who represented the Permanent Secretary, during a ceremony attended by National Project Coordinator Eng. Boniface Okanya and other senior ministry officials.
During the handover, Eng. Okanya cautioned both political and technical leaders against diverting the vehicle from its intended purpose, emphasizing that it is exclusively designated for project activities under the Production Department.
“The District Production Officer, who is the project’s focal person, knows the seven permitted activities of this vehicle. In some districts, when a new vehicle is delivered, the CAO or LC5 Chairperson grabs it, which I am certain is not the case for Pallisa,” Eng. Okanya said.
He warned that any unauthorized use or seizure of the vehicle would trigger remote disabling mechanisms, leading to embarrassment for the responsible officials.
Eng. Okanya explained that the Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation Project in Pallisa focuses on four major enterprise value chains: crops, livestock including dairy, fisheries, and beneficial insects.
Pallisa District Production Officer Dr. John Michael Okwalinga welcomed the new vehicle, describing it as a major boost to service delivery after years of operating without reliable transport.
“It has been very difficult to supervise implementation of government programmes under the Production Department, which covers fisheries, veterinary and agriculture. The only vehicle the department had was taken by the CAO’s office. I have had a very big challenge supervising and monitoring extension workers at sub-county level. I was virtually stuck without transport,” Dr. Okwalinga said.
Pallisa District LC5 Chairperson Ben Okir’ia thanked the government for supporting agricultural development and urged residents to fully embrace the project to improve household incomes.
“Do not only work for the stomach, but work aggressively to attain middle-income status, as the NRM slogan developed by President Museveni says, Kisanja, No More Sleep,” Okir’ia said.
He also welcomed the ministry’s clear guidelines on the use of the vehicle. “I am happy the terms and conditions for this vehicle are clear. I ask Dr. Okwalinga never to deviate,” he added.
Farmer Rev. Abram Osiire from Akisim Sub-county said the vehicle would improve coordination among agricultural extension officers and enhance service delivery to farmers.
“This vehicle is going to ease teamwork because the entomologist, veterinary officer, agricultural officer and fisheries officer will now move together to the field and jointly help us farmers,” Rev. Osiire said.
He added that improved supervision would also increase accountability among extension workers at sub-county level.
“This vehicle is going to awaken some extension workers who have been taking advantage of poor supervision due to inadequate transport for district staff,” he said.
The Uganda Climate Smart Agricultural Transformation Project is expected to strengthen agricultural productivity, improve extension services, and promote climate-resilient farming practices across beneficiary districts.
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