Over 700 KCCA employees  ordered to re-apply for jobs

The executive director of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), Ms Dorothy Kisaka, has directed the institution’s Management Executive Committee (MEC) and all city division town clerks to compel more than 700 temporary staff to re-apply for jobs.

In February 12 internal memo, a copy of which Daily Monitor has seen, Ms Kisaka said the new recruitment instructions are a follow-up of the staff verification exercise, which was conducted last year and sought to address KCCA’s current recruitment irregularities.

“…I am, therefore, writing to urge you to inform and support our temporary staff about these decisions. Additionally, to engage the directorate of administration and human resource, who will provide the needed support to ensure a smooth transition and business continuity for the authority,” she wrote.

However, Ms Kisaka in her memo did not give findings of the verification exercise, neither did it state the total number of KCCA staff employed on both permanent and temporary staff.
 
Irregularities 
However, a senior official from KCCA’s directorate of administration and human resource intimated to this newspaper on Friday on condition of anonymity that the verification exercise was marred with irregularities. 

For instance, she said at least 20 people, who were not previously working at KCCA, were smuggled into the system to enable them apply for jobs when the pending jobs are finally advertised. 

“On top of the problems of temporary staff which we are seeking to address, new people who are relatives of top officials are being smuggled in yet temporary recruitment had been halted,” she said. 

Asked why she and her colleagues in the human resource directorate did not raise the red flag against such irregularities, the source said they fear to turn down someone, who has been recommended by a top official within the institution.

 KCCA’s acting spokesperson Daniel Nuwabiine yesterday acknowledged that recruitment of staff is yet to take place but said a date has not been communicated yet.

He also denied claims that some people were smuggled to the system during the verification exercise yet they were not previously employed by KCCA.

“It is important to inform all temporary staff about the upcoming recruitment exercise so that they are given an opportunity to compete and this is what we are doing,” he said.

Kampala Lord Mayor Erias Lukwago said he has not got any details of the pending recruitment and the allegations made by some staff about irregular recruitment.

He said they have an executive meeting today at City Hall and one of the issues on the agenda is KCCA’s recruitment woes.
“This matter is high on the agenda because we have raised queries about Jobs in KCCA before and the Public Accounts Committee extensively highlighted this challenge in their report.,” he said.

The chairperson of PSC, Justice Ralph Ochan, could not be reached for a comment.