IGG probes irregular staff promotions in Mbale City

Ms Paula Dominic Baru, the head of the IGG Mbale regional office, confirmed the development saying preliminary findings have revealed that there is influence peddling in the exercise among other irregularities.

 “We are investigating allegations of irregular promotions, bribery, forged academic papers, accelerating promotions and nepotism,” Ms Baru told Daily Monitor in an interview at the weekend.       

She said they received four petitions and have since written to the Mbale City Clerk to explain the issues raised. 

“People think there was no transparency and that the service commission traded jobs for money,” she added.

The petitioners alleged that the City Service Commission (CSC) promoted some unqualified people to key positions during the three-day validation exercise which was conducted between December 12 and 14, 2022 at Education Standards Agency offices at the Mbale District headquarters, which the city officials denied.

The positions include principal auditor, town clerk, principal community development officer and clerk to council, among others.

In a petition seen by the Daily Monitor, Mr Moses Wanda, one of the petitioners, said after the interviews, some of the staff who reportedly failed were promoted to senior positions.

Mr Wanda further alleges that the majority of the staff in scale U4 mainly from finance, community and administration departments were promoted to scale U2 and U1 without due regard to Uganda Public Service Standing Orders 2021, Public Service Act 2008, the Local Government Act 1997 as amended.

“The city town clerk wholesomely determined who should be retained, promoted or left out hence usurping the powers of the commission,” the January 3 petition addressed to the commissioner-in-charge of restructuring in the Ministry of Public Service, reads in part.

He added that a sub-county chief, who was on U3 salary was irregularly promoted to development officer to earn U1 salary.

“This calls for urgent investigations on lack of transparency and corruption in the just concluded validation exercise by Mbale City clerk and Mbale City Service Commission,” he said.

A senior accounting officer from the neighbouring district, who spoke to Daily Monitor on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said it is impossible to be promoted from U3 (Shs900,000) to U1E to earn Shs1.6 million.

“You cannot be promoted from U3 to U1E. The normal promotions should be U3 to U2 and then U1E. It must have been an irregular promotion and they should be investigated by the anti-corruption agencies,” the officer said.

The officer added that the failure of the town clerk to invite technical persons from the line ministries was unprofessional and caused a conflict of interest. 

Mr Wanda, in the petition, alleges that the town clerk regularly attended meetings of the commission and directly influenced its decisions.

“The exercise was done in total deviation from the operational guidelines and procedures issued by the Public Service Commission,” he said.

When contacted, the Mbale City Clerk, Mr Ambrose Ocen, declined to comment on the matter, saying it is before court.

“When the matter is in court, you allow the court to do their work,” Mr Ocen said.

However, during an interview with the Daily Monitor earlier, Mr Ocen said all cities have been restructured and that the validation exercise is legal and based on merit.

“We have a new structure which has been developed and all our civil servants who have papers and experience, we will move with them but those who don’t qualify, will have to create space for those who meet the requirements,” Mr Ocen said.

Mr Steven Masiga, a lecturer at Makerere University Mbale branch, said if the allegations that council promoted workers based on money are true then it is shameful.

“Though such complaints that the service commission could have picked money from applicants cannot be confined to Mbale City alone. This is a common trend everywhere. The best way is capacity building so that they can appreciate their roles well,” Mr Masiga said.

The Mbale Industrial City Division speaker, Mr Musa Kasajja, said the recent promotions were unfair.

“Some people who have question marks are the ones who were promoted and people with good track records were implicated. There was discrimination in the validation,” Mr Kasajja said.

Mr Joseph Gudoi, a resident, said the recent promotions at the city council reveal how the institution can’t promote assertive, ambitious and professional officers because they see them as a threat.

A section of employees, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, allege that some of the promoted officials are also related to some senior servants and politicians in the city. However, Mr Kutosi dismissed the claims as baseless.

A source said some civil servants were given more than two offices.

“The assistant town clerk was promoted to a senior town clerk yet there were other senior chiefs who were waiting for that position. The sub-county chiefs were more senior than assistant town clerks,” the source said.

CITY COUNCIL RESPONDS

Mr James Kutosi, the Mbale City Council principal public relations officer, said restructuring in service is not direct recruitment as people are alleging.

“This was a validation exercise, where CSC validates someone’s capacity and ability and during that exercise, accelerated promotions based on merit are allowed,” he said.

Mr Kutosi said people are allowed to petition any office if they are aggrieved by the exercise.

“Some people have already petitioned the Mbale city clerk while others have petitioned the Inspector General of Government (IGG),” he said.