RESPONSE TO A RED PEPPER STORY CIRCULATING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
The attention of the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council (UNMC) has been drawn to a story published by Red Pepper and circulating on social media that falsely alleges a licensing mess and contract irregularities at the Council. The Council wishes to respond as follows:
The headline of the story: Whereas the headline refers to a “licensing mess and contract irregularities” at the Council, the body of the story is largely a reproduction of extracts from the Auditor General’s report. The publication presented only the queries raised in that report and omitted the responses provided by the Council. This selective presentation renders the story incomplete, unbalanced, and misleading.
The content of the story: The content is drawn from the Auditor General’s report for the Financial Year 2024/2025, which is a public document. The Council responded to the issues raised in that report. For this statement, the Council specifically addresses the following points highlighted in the Red Pepper story:
- Exceeding revenue targets: The story acknowledges that the Council exceeded its revenue targets for the 2024/2025 Financial Year. It then states that not all the revenue collected was spent. It is not a requirement that all revenue collected in a given financial year must be spent within that same year. Unspent funds are properly accounted for and carried forward in accordance with applicable financial regulations.
- Implementation of planned activities: The story correctly notes that out of 62 planned activities, 56 were fully implemented, 5 were partially implemented, and 1 was not implemented. Using a weighted completion method (where partially implemented activities are assigned a weight of 50%), the overall performance is calculated as follows:
Formula: [(Fully implemented + (0.5 × Partially implemented)) ÷ Total planned] × 100
Calculation: [(56 + 2.5) ÷ 62] × 100
Performance: 94.35%
A performance rate of 94.35% does not support characterising the Council as “rot.” The selective framing of these figures raises questions about the publication’s objectivity.
- Compliance with Public Procurement requirements: Regarding the requirement to reserve certain procurements for registered associations of women and persons with disabilities, this obligation took effect in May 2025—only two months before the close of the financial year. By that time, most of the Council’s procurement activities for the year had already been concluded.
- Regulation of health facilities: The story alleged that out of 956 health facilities under the Council’s purview, only 347 were licensed during the year. Licensing occurs at two levels: upon initial registration and upon renewal (every three years for a professional license and annually for private practice). Compliance with licensing requirements involves multiple stakeholders, including individual nurses and midwives, owners of nursing clinics and maternity homes, supervisors, and the Council itself. Focusing solely on one actor does not present a complete or accurate picture of the licensing landscape.
- UNMC’s capacity to regulate nurses and midwives: Over the years, the Council has undertaken significant reforms that have strengthened professional regulation. These include the development of key professional guidance documents such as the Scope of Practice, the Midwifery Handbook and Guide to Practice, the Professional Code of Conduct and Ethics, and the Student Mentorship Guide.
In November 2022, the Council launched a fully digital online registration and licensure system. This has eliminated bureaucratic bottlenecks and enhanced transparency. In just over three years, more than 109,010 nurses and midwives have used the system to register (5,8887) and renew (5,0343) their practising licences, representing a substantial improvement in accessibility, data monitoring, and tracking of professional compliance.
A Geographic Information System (GIS) has also been developed to track the distribution of nurses and midwives and to generate quality data for policymakers. The Council continues to strengthen nursing and midwifery education through routine inspection of training institutions, validation of nursing students, and technical guidance in curriculum development.
In addition, UNMC has accredited more than 20 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) providers, thereby expanding access to accredited modules in critical areas such as antimicrobial resistance, pharmacovigilance, and maternal and child health. This has fostered a culture of lifelong learning among Ugandan nurses and midwives.
The Council has further advanced research and knowledge generation by spearheading the Uganda Nurses and Midwives Research Agenda and establishing the Uganda Journal of Nursing & Midwifery (launched in May 2026). These platforms support scientific inquiry, evidence-based practice, and international collaboration. The Council has also provided research grants to nurses and midwives.
Our Commitment
The Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council is committed to protecting the public by upholding the highest standards of nursing and midwifery practice. We pledge to deliver efficient, transparent, and reliable registration and regulatory services, continuously improve our systems, and ensure that every nurse and midwife in Uganda is competent, ethical, and accountable to the people they serve.
Thank you,
Ampeire Jacob
PR & Communications Officer
Uganda Nurses and Midwives Council