The State in State House: Presidential Parallel Governance in Uganda.

In this third installment of our Ideological College Series, we examine a central feature of Uganda’s contemporary governance: the growing role of State House–based institutions in economic management.

Drawing on Olemo’s undergraduate thesis on Presidential Parallel Governance, this discussion explores why successive functions traditionally assigned to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies have increasingly been duplicated or bypassed by entities operating directly under the presidency.

Using the Presidential Advisory Committee on Exports and Industrial Development (PACEID) as a case study—an institution operating alongside the statutory Uganda Free Zones and Export Promotion Authority—we consider an interpretation that moves beyond corruption or regime security alone. The argument advanced is that these parallel institutions also reflect a developmental ambition: an effort to accelerate structural transformation through trusted, flexible, and centrally coordinated mechanisms.

At the same time, the discussion interrogates the long-term implications of this model. While parallel economic governance may enhance speed and control in the short term, its continued expansion risks weakening bureaucratic autonomy, fragmenting institutional authority, and undermining the state capacity required for sustained national development.


References & Further Reading
1. Olemo Gordon Brian, The State at State House: Presidential Parallel Governance in Uganda (Undergraduate Thesis)
https://app.box.com/s/u20h52vtcw985au...

2. KFM Interview: PACEID ED Odrek Rwabwogo
   • Odrek Rwabwogo LIVE on #TheCapitalGang, Sa...  

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