Wakiso District Service Commission chairman interdicted over misconduct
Wakiso District Service Commission acting chairperson Mariam Mutalaga is sworn in recently as the CAO, Mr Luke Lukoda (centre) and district chairperson Matia Lwanga Bwanika (left) look on. Photo by Joseph Kiggundu
What you need to know:
- The district had appointed Ms Mariam Mutalaga as acting district service commission chairperson.
- Dr Ssekyewa becomes the third top Wakiso District official to be interdicted in a space of two months.
WAKISO. Wakiso District Service Commission chairperson Charles Ssekyewa has been interdicted over alleged misconduct and lack of integrity.
According to a September 22 letter signed by the Wakiso District chairperson, Mr Matia Lwanga Bwanika, Dr Ssekyewa is accused of failure to follow the established procedures in recruitment of staff.
Mr Bwanika cited the recruitment of Ms Juliet Bakobye as principal human resource officer of the commission and Mr Livingstone Kasibante, the principal town clerk, Kakiri Town Council, as some of the flawed recruitments, saying the principal of fairness and transparency were not observed.
“As the chairperson of the district service commission, you should have ensured that an advertisement was caused for the two posts that fell vacant after the chief executive declared the vacancies ….interesting is that even the former secretary of the district service commission guided that the said posts be advertised in the print media, the advice was ignored,” Mr Bwanika said in his letter.
He adds in the letter that Dr Ssekyewa is being investigated over alleged extortion of money from shortlisted candidates and a report is expected to be released soon.
Dr Ssekyewa, who has served in the position for three and half years, is also accused of having two full-time jobs, which is against the Public Service Commission guidelines.
Apart from being the district service commission chairperson, which is a full-time job, Dr Ssekwewa, according to Mr Bwanika, is also serving as deputy vice chancellor in charge of academics at African Rural University in Kagadi, Kibaale District on full-time basis .
But in his rebuttal to Bwanika’s allegations, dated September 27, Dr Ssekyewa denied being a full-time employee of the university and explained that he only assisted them to develop their curriculum.
“Though they (African Rural University) had preferred me to be full-time. I shared with them my other obligations and clearly indicated that I had to fulfill my duties as chairman district service commission …I have by August 2016 terminated my engagement with them to concentrate on my full-time DSC responsibility ,” he says in the letter.
On the alleged illegal recruitment of staff, Dr Ssekwewa said all recruitments were conducted basing on the advice he received from the former district chief administrative officer, Mr Dunstan Iga Mukasa, who has since been transferred to Gomba District. While addressing journalists at the district headquarters on Wednesday, Mr Bwanika said Dr Ssekyewa will be given a chance to defend himself before a committee currently probing illegal recruitment of staff in the district.
He added that, in the meantime, the district had appointed Ms Mariam Mutalaga as acting district service commission chairperson. Other members of the commission include Mr Joseph Walugembe, Ms Rebecca N. Mayanja and Mr Ssimbwa Bunya.
Other cases
Dr Ssekyewa becomes the third top Wakiso District official to be interdicted in a space of two months. In August , both the district health officer and education officer, Dr Emmanuel Mukisa and Fredrick Kiyingi, respectively, were interdicted over alleged gross neglect of duty and non-performance.
