The Chairperson of Luweero District, Erasto Kibirango, has strongly condemned alleged corruption within the district Service Commission, accusing officials of fuelling bribery in recruitment processes and contributing to the hiring of unqualified workers.
Kibirango made the remarks while presiding over the district council sitting after councillors reportedly waited for nearly six hours for Speaker Derrick Lukanga, who failed to appear and could not be reached by phone.
The Deputy Speaker was also absent after travelling to Masaka for a burial, forcing Kibirango to chair the session to allow councillors to discuss pending district matters and make recommendations for the next council sitting.
The council session, which began at around 3pm, reviewed reports from statutory boards and commissions, including the operations of the Service Commission, the District Land Board, and staff management concerns.
Reports presented before the council showed that the Service Commission handled three cases of early retirement on medical grounds, 27 disciplinary cases, 20 removals from service, two appeals against removal, and two cases involving retirement in public interest and abolition of office, among others.
Kibirango noted that most of the dismissed workers were accused of absenteeism.
However, he said corruption within the Service Commission has become a major challenge affecting both public servants and job seekers.
“This doesn’t only go to public workers, even those looking for jobs should change their mindset that they must pay to get a job. They have tried on several occasions to bribe me because they assume there’s no free job,” Kibirango said.
He further criticised what he described as a growing tendency among some applicants to rely on recommendations from the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), saying some staff members treat such endorsements as automatic approval for recruitment.
“Some apply for jobs with recommendation from the CAO, and staff no longer bother to verify their qualifications. Later, you discover they are children of commissioners or ministers, but when they fail at work, no one talks about it,” he added.
Councillors also condemned the practice of demanding money from unemployed people seeking jobs, describing it as exploitative and unfair.
“How do you ask a job seeker for Shs4 million when they are already unemployed? We have recommended that the next council should be keen and closely monitor how the Service Commission performs,” said Herbert Kiggo, district councillor representing Kalagala Sub-county.
The leaders resolved to push for stronger supervision of the Service Commission in an effort to eliminate bribery and restore fairness and transparency in public service recruitment within the district.