Public Service Commission misses August 30 district commission deadline

Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Public Service Commission has acknowledged its inability to meet the August 30 deadline imposed by Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara for all districts and cities lacking operational service commissions to establish them.

This concession came on Friday during the Public Service Commission's appearance before the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE), where it addressed inquiries from the Auditor General's report for the 2024/2025 financial year.

Before the committee could delve into the Auditor General's findings, Elgon North Member of Parliament Gerald Nangoli brought up the issue, noting that several districts had already passed council resolutions and proposed candidates to the Public Service Commission, but were unsure if these appointments would be approved before the minister's deadline.

Public Service Commission Permanent Secretary John Geoffrey Mbabazi confirmed that some districts and urban areas had put forward nominees for endorsement, but stated that the national commission itself was unable to act because it currently lacks its full complement of members.

Mbabazi informed the MPs that the contracts for all nine members of the Public Service Commission, including its chairperson and deputy chairperson, had concluded on July 28.

He explained that new candidates had been proposed to President Yoweri Museveni for appointment before the previous contracts ended, but the President had not yet confirmed these individuals.

Mbabazi acknowledged that certain districts and cities had indeed submitted their nominees for the Public Service Commission's approval, adding that the commission currently lacked a full composition.

Mbabazi stated that once the President appoints the new members, the commission would onboard them and then start reviewing the district nominations.

This situation implies that districts and cities with improperly constituted service commissions may continue to be unable to hire, promote, or make other human resources decisions, which could further delay public service delivery.

Nangoli also voiced concerns regarding the extensive time the Public Service Commission takes to process nominees from local governments, pointing out that some districts face delays of over six months before their candidates are interviewed and approved.

He requested an explanation from the commission about the implications for institutions needing its services while it remains without appointed commissioners, and whether the President had been officially informed of this critical situation.

Mbabazi responded that the commission had been processing nominations as much as possible, but its workload had also been affected by other governmental duties, such as the streamlining of public institutions.

He indicated that all nominations submitted prior to July had been processed, with those submitted after July 28 remaining unaddressed.

Mbabazi reported that a panel convened by the President had interviewed potential candidates for the Public Service Commission and submitted its recommendations before the existing commissioners' terms concluded.

However, he noted that the President had not yet proceeded with the appointment of the new commissioners.

This revelation occurred as COSASE, under the chairmanship of Muwada Nkunyingi, scrutinised the Public Service Commission regarding various financial and managerial issues highlighted by the Auditor General.

Nkunyingi informed the commission that the committee would investigate various matters, including asset records, unfulfilled short-term objectives, the failure to budget for non-tax revenue, the underuse of government warrants, and unspent allocations.

The audit inquiries included 162 million shillings in unspent warrants, 69.801 million shillings allocated for pensions, 42.075 million shillings for gratuity, and 37.345 million shillings in staff salaries, in addition to several outputs that were only partially completed.