Almost 90% of district service commissions are corrupt – ISO

The Internal Security Organisation (ISO) deputy director general has said almost 90 percent of district service commissions are corrupt .

Lt Col Emmy Katabazi said the officials in the distric service commissions extort money from job seekers, adding that ISO has been tasked to ensure such vices are wiped out.

‘‘They have slept with our daughters promising them jobs and the President has been briefed about these unfortunate incidents. But how come you the RDCs (resident district commissioners) and DISOs (district internal security officer) aren’t aware of such incidents?” he said during a capacity building training of RDCs and ISO officers from Bunyoro and Rwenzori in Hoima City on Monday said.

The district service commission is established under Section 54 Sub-section 1 of the Local Government Act as amended.

‘‘A district service commission shall consist of a chairperson and such other members as a district council shall determine, at least one of whom shall represent urban authorities and all of whom shall be appointed by the district council on the recommendation of the district executive committee with the approval of the Public Service Commission,’’ section 54(2) states.

Dr Suudi Nangoli, an associate professor at Makerere University Business School, said about 65 percent of government projects fail because of corrupt individuals.

‘‘In low-developed nations like Uganda, the biggest challenge as to why projects fail is because of the ability to take selfish interests. It’s upon you who are here to reduce that statistics. The cancer of failure is not technical, it’s human,’’ Dr Nangoli said.

The Minister for Presidency, Ms Milly Babirye Babalanda, in her message which was delivered by Lt Col Katabazi urged RDCs and DISOs to join the fight against corruption.

‘‘There is a major disease that has affected the implementation of government programmes and projects. When we talk about corruption the fingers quickly point at actors at the national level, but forget the actors at the local level who play an even greater role in implementing government policies,’’ Ms Babalanda said.

She added that there are several government projects that have been abandoned by contractors because of corruption.

‘‘I have information about contractors who have abandoned their work partly due to corruption or laziness,” the minister said.

“I shall not name the affected projects but I am writing to the State House Anti-Corruption Unit and IGG (Inspector General of Government) to investigate why they have abandoned work in your districts and why government continues to lose too much money through such corrupt tendencies. Is it that some RDCs are sleeping on job?’’ she added.

Selling jobs
During the Liberation Day celebrations in Kakumiro District on February 26, President Museveni said he had been informed that some district service commissions were selling government jobs to job seekers.

“I have also been told that girls are being exploited sexually to get jobs. Get evidence so that we get rid of those pigs,” Mr Museveni said.

He wondered why DISOs and the Criminal Intelligence Directorate (CID) have failed to curb the vice.