Mbale City to conduct fresh interviews for teachers

A copy of a circular seen by this newspaper and signed by the Secretary Service Commission of Mbale City, indicates that fresh interviews will take place on April 12 at the Education Standards Agency building (MOES-ESA)-Malukhu, Mbale City.

According to the circular, the city service commission shortlisted 57 candidates for the deputy head teachers positions, five for senior inspector of schools, five for head teachers and more than 10 for Senior Education Assistants positions.

Mr James Kutosi, the senior communication officer of Mbale City, confirmed at the weekend that the process was ongoing. 

“We are implementing the IGG directive to interview applicants afresh and this time the exercise will be successful. We are going to recruit people on merit,” Mr Kutosi said.

He revealed that the city is going to use the same service commission but would change the technical person who interviews the candidates. 

“We are going to get another technical person from somewhere,” he said. 

Background
Trouble started last month when a whistle-blower petitioned the IGG accusing the Mbale City Commission of irregularities in job recruitment.   

The IGG investigation unearthed allegations of city council officials receiving bribes and selling questions to some of the candidates before they were appointed by the Mbale City Service Commission. 

The IGG also cancelled the issuance of appointment letters to successful applicants. 

Mr Steven Masiga, the director of Makerere University Mbale branch, said Mbale City should have instead passed a resolution to hire a service commission from another district. 

“The current commission is already biased. Conducting fresh interviews with the same service commissions is of no difference. The problem will be the same. There is a need to hire another district service commission for free and fair exercise,” Mr Masiga said. 

He said the criteria of recruiting staff in a local government or any other organisation should depict merit. 

“Workers should be hired based on merit and not sex, money or other nepotistic tendencies,” he said.

Interdiction
The IGG also directed the Chief Administrative Officer of Mbale, Mr Luke Lokuda, to interdict the district principal education officer, Mr Sam Paddy Khaukha, on allegations of corruption. 

Mr Khaukha, who was interdicted on March 20, to pave the way for investigations into his alleged corruption cases, was the technical person during the interview of the teachers. 

The interdiction was served to him by Mr Lokuda. 

According to the CAO, preliminary investigations indicate that Mr Khaukha solicited bribes and sold questions to some of the candidates for them to be appointed by the Mbale City Service Commission. 

“Your actions amounted to corruption, abuse of office contrary to section 2 (e) and section 11 respectively of the Anti-corruption Act 2009, and misconduct that brings the Public service into disrepute as provided for by section (F-r) Paragraph 4 of the Uganda Public Service Standing orders 2021,” the letter read in part. 

However, during an interview with Monitor, Mr Khaukha dismissed allegations, saying people are fighting him. 

Ms Paula Dominic Baru, the IGG head of the Mbale regional office, said Mr Khaukha has been prohibited from serving on any service commission as a technical officer. 

IGG probe
The Inspector General of Government investigation unearthed allegations of city council officials receiving bribes and selling questions to some of the candidates for them to be appointed by the Mbale City Service Commission. 

They also resolved to cancelled the issuance of appointment letters to the officers recruited by the Commission. 

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