Ministry of Energy staff are increasingly quitting opting for lucrative jobs in better paying companies.
According to Robert Kasande (in featured photo), the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Energy, this trend (of staff quitting) has left the Ministry’s staffing levels at only 30%.
He made the remarks while appearing before the Public Accounts Committee to answer queries raised in the 2016/2017 Auditor General report.
In the year under review, the Ministry returned to the Treasury Shs2.9bn meant for staff wages.
Asked to explain why the money was returned, Kasande told the Committee that the money wasn’t absorbed because some of the staff had left the ministry for other jobs in oil companies.
Kasande said that 70% of the staff have left the Ministry and the sector has been left grappling with staff shortages, with the most experienced staff abandoning the Ministry because of the meager pay and the exodus left the Ministry with only 30% staffing level.
Documents submitted to Parliament indicate that the Ministry of Energy requested for Shs442bn of which, Shs410bn was released but only Shs407bn was spent and about Shs2.9bn was not used.
Nandala Mafabi, Chairperson Public Accounts Committee ordered the Ministry to table the salary structure of the oil companies and the list Ministry of staff who left for other jobs.
“Because the Oil Companies have better pay, they attract everybody who wants money, you know there are people in civil service who are looking for money and they would want people who have knowledge in that area and that is the reason why many of them have run to these entities to go and look for better pay,” Mafabi said.
“We are in for a great shock we are told 70% of the staff have left for these other big companies which have been formed under the Ministry of Energy (watch); this is a big problem, so the Ministry is at 30% capacity and that shows that the performance is at 30%. It is quite dangerous for the Ministry of Energy and they are saying even those being recruited or promoting are also running away so we don’t know where it will end,” he added.
