The Ministry of Public Service has tasked the Namisindwa Chief Administrative Offier-CAO to provide an explanation as to why they recruited over and above the number of recommended staff.
A July 4th, 2022 letter signed by Public Service Ministry Permanent Secretary, Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire shows that despite approving the recruitment of 150 staff at different levels, the district went ahead to recruit 222 employees leading to a salary deficit.
“Pursuant to Section 7 of the Public Service Act 2008, this Ministry issued Namisindwa District Local Government clearance to recruit Vide ARC 6/293/05 dated 25th August 2021 for F/Y 2021/2022. The district was cleared to recruit a total number of 96 positions. Further clearance was given for recruiting positions under Urban Unconditional grant and Agricultural Extension to consume the projected wage surplus of 34,316.808 and 271,557,108 respectively. This Ministry has however established that Namisindwa District Local Government violated the clearance issued by recruiting numbers over and above what had been cleared,” reads the letter.
According to the letter, while the Ministry approved the recruitment of 17 primary health caregivers, the district recruited 28 and in primary education, only 35 were approved but the district recruited 159. Another 55 people were recruited without clearance from the Ministry of Public Service. The unauthorized recruitments have caused a shortfall of Shillings 1,573,672.548 in the wage bill.
Now, the Ministry has tasked the CAO, Franco Olabora to explain the unauthorized staff recruitments. Olabora declined to comment on the matter when approached by our reporter, saying that he has already responded to the ministry in writing and is still waiting for a response before speaking to the media.
Namisindwa District youth councilor, Emma Bwayo, says that the additional employees have appointment letters despite the fact that they have not been posted to their duty stations and have gone without pay for several months. Namisindwa LC V Chairperson faults Bwayo and other councilors for allegedly fighting his leadership and the district by petitioning the ministry about the recruitment exercise.
He insists that they didnt break any law by recruiting over and above the recommended staff since the district still needs more workers in the newly created administrative units. Wakwaika argues that they have been returning billions of Shillings to the national treasury each financial year for paying workers due to understaffing.
He explains that after the last recruitment they sent back only Shillings 460 million, which they have lost if they didnt have the required staff.
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