Prime
Job fight at Ministry of Works as cuts loom
Waiswa Bageya, Permanent Secretary at MoWT
What you need to know:
- A senior official in the ministry, whose role is being phased out, is reportedly trying to wiggle into a junior role at the expense of other applicants.
The impending restructuring and rationalisation of government departments and agencies continues to cause tension as officials seek to hang onto jobs, this publication has learnt.
At the Ministry of Works and Transport (MoWT), an applicant for the vacant position of Commissioner Maritime Administration has written to the permanent secretary in protest after a more senior official in the ministry, whose role is being phased out, tried to wiggle into the junior role. The official has not been identified.
“I applied for the subject position in MoWT in the month of January 2023. However, no shortlisting has been done to this day, which I found strange, especially with the newly appointed Public Service Commission,” the petitioner, who signed off as Fred B. Musisi, wrote, in a letter seen by this this publication.
“It has now come to my notice that [an] HR manager in MoWT has influenced the delaying of this recruitment in favour of another director whose position is being phased out,” he alleged.
The petitioner also alleged that plans are now underway to cancel the recruitment and re-advertise to give an opportunity to the unnamed official, whose role will soon become redundant, to apply.
Concerns
“The reason being given for this delay is lack of wage, but it is well known that the position fell vacant in this financial year,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary at MoWT, Mr Waiswa Bageya, confirmed that he had received the petition. He also confirmed that there were many people interested in the few openings available but denied any wrongdoing.
“Being one job, you cannot ration it out and sometimes it’s fair for us to declare the post to the Public Service Commission (PSC) and they handle it,” he said, adding that he had referred the matter to the PSC.
“Public Service Commission are the ones to communicate, advertise and request for a representative from the Ministry to help them short-list and interview the applicants,” Mr Bageya added. “I am still waiting for the Public Service Commission to tell me what to do and since this matter is not urgent to a normal submission for which they can take their time unlike other requests put forward earlier for them to act on.”
The Cabinet has phased out the position of director in most government ministries. The work will now be handled by commissioners, who are one rank lower in the hierarchy. The position of Commissioner Maritime Administration fell vacant in January following the retirement of Mr George Rukara.
More job fights are expected ahead of and after July 1, when the rationalisation exercise takes effect..
