360 assistant RDCs are a recipe for disaster
Yiga Kisakyamukama who was filmed undressing on camera was reportedly appointed as Gomba District assitant RDC. PHOTO/ FILE
What you need to know:
- The issue: Assistant RDCs.
- Our view: Let’s revoke the appointment of Assistant RDCs and use the money to either buy more doses of foot and mouth disease vaccines, or buy fertilisers for the poor.
The red flags for the rising cost of running the ruling National Resistance Movement government have been up for years. Currently, the cost of public administration stands at Shs7.4 trillion.
The huge cost of public administration has over the years soared from over Shs465 billion in the financial year (FY) 2001/2002 to Shs7.4 trillion in the next FY budget. In the current programme-based budgeting, public administration is represented as the governance and security programme. Under this programme, there are the Ministry of Defence, State House, President’s Office, Office of the Prime Minister, Electoral Commission and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, among others.
The appointment of 357 Assistant Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) in Public Service rubs salt into the wound. The new burden to the taxpayer, openly balloons the wage bill by Shs3 billion each year. The country is already struggling with the high levels of youth unemployment, poverty that chains many people across the country, corruption as well as a sick healthcare system that condemns the poor to pain and death.
The Office of the President did not even bother to explain their roles. The minister, Ms Milly Babalanda, who is currently under pressure for allegedly appointing what some members of society called “dunderheads” as Assistant RDCs, simply asked the RDCs/RCCs to receive the new officers and introduce them to District Security Committees and all other stakeholders.
The appointment of people with dubious character undermines the Office of the President beyond thinkable proportions and sets a bad precedent for leadership.
Article 203 of the 1995 Constitution provides for the establishment of the office of the Resident District/City Commissioner to monitor the implementation of Central and Local Government services in the district, act as chairperson of the District Security Committee and carry out such other functions as may be assigned by the President or prescribed by Parliament by law. The impunity and carelessness in the appointment of Assistant RDCs is an upshot of warped politics that has bred hard-heartedness and lack of accountability in the management of public affairs.
It’s unsurprising that in the Budget Framework Paper presented by Shadow Finance Minister Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda to Parliament, the cost of administration budget is higher than what has been allocated to productive sectors like manufacturing.
Let’s revoke the appointment of Assistant RDCs and use the money to either buy more doses of foot and mouth disease vaccines, or buy required fertilisers for the poor farmers in the countryside. Such a decision would boost agricultural productivity which is essential to growth, poverty reduction and job creation.
