IGG probes sale of jobs in local govt
Left to right: The director of anti-corruption at the Inspectorate of Government, Mr Simon Ogwal Kajura, and the Inspector General of Government, Ms Beti Kamya, during the press conference in Kampala yesterday. PHOTO/ ISAAC KASAMANI
What you need to know:
- During the celebrations to mark Liberation Day on Thursday last week, President Museveni vowed to take action against local government officials who extort money from individuals in exchange for jobs.
The Inspectorate of Government (IG) has commenced investigations into the alleged sale of public service jobs at the local government.
This comes days after President Museveni decried the vice at the local government level during the Liberation Day celebrations last Thursday.
Addressing journalists at the IG offices in Kampala yesterday, the Inspector General of Government (IGG), Ms Beti Kamya, said the President’s rebuke shows that the government is aware of the rampant corruption in the district service commissions (DSC).
She added that the IG has investigated numerous complaints of this nature at the local government level and some of the culprits have been apprehended.
“Selling public jobs is an injustice which denies a person of merit the opportunity to serve this country. It results in great danger of littering the public service with human resource of low calibre leading to incompetence, loss of public funds, poor service delivery and poverty,” Ms Kamya said.
“Between 2020 and 2022, the IG Directorate of Ombudsman Affairs received a total of over 225 cases regarding the breaches in the recruitments handled by the district service commission. We also encourage the public to always raise an alarm in case they are asked to pay a bribe in exchange for jobs,” she added.
During the celebrations to mark Liberation Day on Thursday last week, Mr Museveni vowed to take action against local government officials who extort money from individuals in exchange for jobs.
“I have heard the bazzukulu (grandchildren) crying about the district service commissions selling local government jobs. Obtain evidence and we jail these swine in Luzira since there’s abundant space for criminals,” the President said.
“The IGG has an investigation department, all we need from the public is a tip that can lead us to the investigations. However, the whistleblowers should always keep secrecy after reporting to allow our investigations proceed to the last dot,” Ms Kamya said.
The director of anti-corruption at the IG, Mr Simon Ogwal Kajura, said the IGG office will propose to the Public Service Commission that people nominated to the DSC undergo a due diligence vetting exercise before being submitted to the district councils for endorsement.
“Currently, the district chairperson nominates names to the DSC, the practice is that once the chairperson takes care of the interests of all the stakeholders then endorsement is guaranteed. This means that merit is the least of anybody’s concern,” Mr Kajura said.
