Kayunga district councilors query ‘unclear’ appointment of 30 extra teachers

Kayunga District councilors have called for an investigation into what they described as unclear circumstances under which 62 primary school teachers were interviewed and given appointment letters yet the district officials had advertised 32 vacancies.

During the district council meeting held last week, Mr Saleh Bulinsoni, the district speaker revealed that Kayunga District Service Commission (DSC) recently advertised 32 vacancies of Education Assistant II.

"The DSC subsequently interviewed the 32 applicants to fill the vacant posts but we were shocked when the list of appointed teachers had 62 teachers. We wonder where the extra 32 appointees came from," Mr Bulinsoni complained. 

Mr Bulinsoni invited the State House Anti-corruption unit to pick interest into wht he called an irregular appointments.
"The challenge now is that the 32 teachers who were added have been given appointment letters but have not been deployed yet," the speaker said.
He was supported by councilors who said the mysterious appointments were part of the corruption racket in the district.
Lately, there has been public uproar over the alleged extortion of money from job seekers.

The irregularities in the way jobs are given prompted the State House anti-corruption unit to start investigating a number of district officials, some of whom were summoned at the unit's headquarters, from where they were grilled.
Investigations are however, still ongoing.

Consequently, two members of the district executive committee who allegedly asked for bribes from job seekers were recently arrested by the police and charged with obtaining money by false pretense. One of them appeared before the Kayunga magistrate’s court which released him on court bail.
Mr Badru Ssentongo, the district service commission chairperson to this reporter that the commission received some 30 more applicants for teachers after it had interviewed the 32 successful applicants who responded to the advert.

Mr Ssentongo explained that the anomaly could have originated from "the confusion" between the concerned officials.
"There could be differences between concerned officials that arise from ' wanting to eat'. It seems they have their own problems," Mr Ssentongo said. 
Mr Dan Bubaale, the Kayunga district education officer said he had written to the chief administrative officer (CAO) about the matter.

"The extra 30 teachers have been given appointment letters but are yet to be posted. I have written to CAO for guidance on this matter," Mr  Bubaale told this publication on Tuesday. 
When contacted, Kayunga CAO, Mr Kareem Mahaba referred this reporter back to Mr Bubaale whom he said had "sufficient information."
Sources in the education department told this reporter that there is still a staffing gap in the district with 167 primary schools.
Because of staffing gaps exacerbated by early retirements and abscondment, especially in primary schools, the district has been fighting to improve academic standards.