Kampala, Uganda | URN | The Public Service Commission has admitted that it will not meet the August 30 deadline set by Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara for all districts and cities without functional service commissions to have them established.
The admission came on Friday as the Public Service Commission appeared before the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) to respond to queries contained in the Auditor General’s report for the 2024/2025 financial year.
Elgon North MP Gerald Nangoli raised the matter before the committee could begin examining the Auditor General’s queries, saying several districts had already passed council resolutions and submitted nominees to the Public Service Commission but were uncertain whether the appointments would be approved before the minister’s deadline.
Public Service Commission Permanent Secretary John Geoffrey Mbabazi confirmed that some districts and cities had submitted nominees for approval but said the national commission itself was unable to act because it is currently not constituted.
Mbabazi told MPs that the contracts of all nine members of the Public Service Commission, including the chairperson and deputy chairperson, expired on July 28.
He said new names had been submitted to President Yoweri Museveni for appointment before the contracts expired, but the President had not yet appointed the members.
“It is true, some districts and cities have submitted their nominees for the Public Service Commission to approve their appointment. It is also true that as we speak now, the commission is not constituted,” Mbabazi said.
Mbabazi said the commission would induct the new members and commence consideration of district nominees once the President appoints them.
The development means districts and cities whose service commissions are not properly constituted could remain unable to recruit, promote or take other decisions relating to their human resources, further delaying service delivery.
Nangoli also raised concerns over the length of time the Public Service Commission takes to process nominees submitted by local governments, saying some districts wait more than six months before their nominees are interviewed and approved.
He asked the commission to explain what would happen to institutions that need its services while it remains without substantive commissioners, and whether the President had been formally informed about the crisis.
Mbabazi said the commission had been processing nominees as far as possible, but its workload had also been affected by other government assignments, including rationalisation of public institutions.
He said all nominees submitted before July had been handled, with those submitted after July 28 remaining pending.
According to Mbabazi, a panel established by the President had interviewed candidates for appointment to the Public Service Commission and submitted its recommendations before the commissioners’ contracts expired.
However, he said the President had not yet appointed the new commissioners.
The admission came as COSASE, chaired by Muwada Nkunyingi, scrutinised the Public Service Commission over several financial and management concerns raised by the Auditor General.
Nkunyingi told the commission that the committee would examine issues including asset information, unimplemented short-term activities, failure to budget for non-tax revenue, under-utilisation of government warrants and unspent funds.
The audit queries included Shs162 million in unspent warrants, Shs69.801 million for pension, Shs42.075 million for gratuity and Shs37.345 million in staff salaries, alongside several outputs that were only partially implemented.
The committee is also examining the commission’s response to the Auditor General’s observations and the extent to which planned activities and financial allocations were implemented during the 2024/2025 financial year.
The dispute over district service commissions adds another layer to concerns about the effectiveness of Uganda’s public service administration, with local governments depending on properly constituted service commissions to manage recruitment and other human-resource functions.
The August 30 deadline set by the Local Government Ministry was intended to address gaps in the establishment and functioning of district service commissions.
