Following the recently concluded recruitment of Ugandan citizens in to public service, the communities in Teso sub-region have commended the katakwi District service commission for its fairness that saw over 400 sons and daughters of the region getting recruited into different positions.
Basing on different adverts displayed in the New Vision newspaper on 15th August 2022 that was calling for the suitably qualified Ugandans to apply for the posts of the parish chiefs, primary teachers, health workers, human resource officers and other positions in Katakwi district local government, some people who spoke to the media termed the service commission a mature and corrupt free compared to the past years.
The advert of parish chiefs and town agents ran on 15th of august to 15th of September 2022, whereas the advert of the teachers was running on 3rd November to 3rd December 2022.
According to the final short list of successful applicants that was hanged at district service commission notice board, 272 were primary teachers,74 deputy head teachers, 69 parish chiefs, 11 town agents.
The district councillor for elderly Hon. Icila Valentine D-Joy said basing on their assessment, it’s the first of its kind because there were no corruption allegations recorded with substantive evidence. He added that Katakwi has never recruited such a big number of citizens to the public service.
“the un identified persons (Mafias) in the previous commissions used to solicit Cash from the poor Ugandans seeking appointments from the public service and not shortlisted, but not the case in the current commission” Hon Icila said.
James Adungo a peasant in Angorom village-Getom sub county in Katakwi District confirmed to this News agency that, the then commission conned his cousin (names withheld) by forcing to sell three heads of cattle and other property worth 3million to buy a job at the medical department which later turned to be scam.
Applicants!
This news agency spoke to Gorrety Apollo from Palisa District, Joseph Emuron, Iyeset Beatrice and Raymond Opolot from Katakwi, Richard Okello from Lira district, Simon Omudala from Soroti among others, all primary teachers testified that they got jobs on merit.
Also other parish chiefs, health workers and other employed citizens (names withheld) said the current commission was not biased in the recent recruitment.
Facts about service commission of katakwi!
Currently the district is again recruiting a total of 45 qualified citizens into public service in different departments that include; production, vetenary, education (sports officer), local governments at the sub county levels, community based finance among others.
On air interview!
While appearing on a local radio station in Katakwi district on 14th may 2022, the political analysts; Hon. Omolo Geoffrey the LC5 for katakwi, Hon. Obukui Jerome the lc3 Akoboi, Hon. Ojaman Simon peter the former district councillor for Usuk sub county, joseph Ogeatum the national patron for Teso student’s association in Uganda applauded the service commission of katakwi for being one of the best in Uganda inline to recruitments. The commission is also said to be the best and first in Teso to recruit the recent parish chiefs.
Mr. Augustin Otuko the researcher at NRM secretariat and a former aspirant for Ngariam county implored the leadership of Katakwi to always identify and Consider the sons and daughters of the soil inline to the recruitments, award of contracts and other related things.
Hon. Peter Ogwang the Minister of state for economic monitoring in the office of the president and Ngariam county legislator on 18th of June 2022, told this website that, his office is engaging seriously with Ministry of finance so as to include all the civil servants who did interviews and succeeded in katakwi district jobs to public service.
“I called the LC5 and the technical team to come to Kampala to meet the finance minister over irregularities at the service commission and soon, it will all be well. I implore service commission to do what is always right for the good of the people” Minister Ogwang.
A few individuals recently who were not combatable with some members of the service commission initiated a process to dismiss District Service Commission secretary Mr. Gabriel Okello on allegations of misconduct, soliciting bribes from applicants, and nepotism exhibited in the course of executing their duties which yielded not fruits as a substantive evidence was not realised.
Opinion.
However, during the district engagement with leaders of Usuk county at Aojabule primary school on 22nd January 2022, Mr. Gabriel Okello, the principle human resource officer also a secretary for Katakwi District service commission said that, the confusion in the district is gossiping, witch hunting, unproductive fights, formation of clicks among the civil servants and a few political leaders in order to attain individual benefits.
“I will stick by my ethics of work and I keenly follow the constitution of the republic of Uganda and I won’t be diverting to other acts of corruption” Okello added.
Meanwhile, the chairperson of the Teso parliamentary group and also the area member of parliament for Usuk constituency Hon. John Bosco Okiror while handing over the 16million printing machine to the teachers of Usuk county said that, he will handle the issue of the wage bill as a team of MPs of Katakwi majorly on education department.
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