In a strategic move aimed to stop any forms of corruption in public recruitment, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Local government Ben Kumumanya has ordered Heads of Human Resource and Secretaries to Service Commissions to uphold integrity and professionalism in managing public service.
He directed all Local Governments to adopt this practice in their future recruitment adverts to promote transparency and restore public confidence in the recruitment process.
Kumumanya warned against bribery and manipulation in recruitment, emphasizing that all public officers serve in trust for the people of Uganda.
He commended Masaka District for embracing disclaimer on its job adverts clearly stating that jobs are not for sale and that asking for money is illegal.
Meeting local government officals in Kampala,Kumumanya pledged his Ministry’s full support to build the capacity of human resource officers and service commissions, emphasizing that strengthened skills and teamwork are key to improving service delivery.
He also reiterated the Ministry’s zero-tolerance stance on corruption and urged officers to remain principled in all recruitment matters.
According to Beti Kamya former Inspectorate of Government,Uganda is facing an alarming financial loss due to corruption, with an estimated Shs10 trillion 44 percent of its domestic revenue draining out annually as per IGG Bi-Annual Performance Report 2024.
The IGG stressed that the Shs10 trillion lost annually represents a significant portion of Uganda’s financial resources, equivalent to 44% of domestic revenue.
Between January and June 2024, the Inspectorate recommended the recovery of Shs15.7 billion from corrupt individuals. However, only Shs2.3 billion, a mere 15% of the targeted amount, was recovered. Kamya expressed concern over this low recovery rate, attributing it to insufficient funding and inadequate resources to fully combat corruption.
In addition to financial losses, Kamya highlighted corruption in government job recruitment as a significant issue. A study conducted across 20 districts revealed rampant corruption in the recruitment processes of district service commissions. Complaints of irregular recruitment practices prompted the Inspectorate to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of outsourcing recruitment to private firms. The preliminary findings of this research confirmed widespread corruption within the existing recruitment processes, especially in district service commissions. “We received numerous complaints about irregular recruitment, which is why we undertook this research. The findings show that corruption in recruitment is rampant, especially in district service commissions,” Kamya explained