Most times, when “outsiders” think of or talk about employment in the public sector (Government), their thinking is that it’s all bliss, glamour and affluence. They think of flowery pay checks, four-wheel drive guzzlers, mansions, perks and a comfortable pensionable retirement, not forgetting wielding lots of power. Of course, it’s a lucky thing to have a job in Government where millions would equally love to join but they can’t because the slots aren’t enough to accommodate all.
However, on the flipside, Government service isn’t an easy craft. It comes with rules, regulations, conditions, terms and responsibilities that, not surprisingly, have seen some throw in the towel to seek for greener and “safer” pastures elsewhere. Others have ended up badly after getting caught on the wrong side of the standing orders and other laws guiding the service.
I am thinking about the Kiteezi landfill disaster and how quickly it landed city bosses in trouble when a few days before no one would have foreseen them in such a fix. The landfill has been there for 20 years and had never collapsed before. Whereas risk assessments had warned of such occurrences, there was no certainty that something wouldn’t happen. It could have as well happened earlier or later when other people are in charge, but not the bosses now in the dock. As fate would have it, disaster struck, lives and property were lost. And in the circumstances, someone had to be answerable and that could have caught anyone at city hall or in the Government structure.
What is the lesson from this incident for anybody charged with serving in a government office? In the course of executing your duties, always beware that something could go wrong and you find yourself answerable but when you were not aware of your culpability all along? Always peer into the future and think of the underside of the possibilities of your service.
Aside from the beneficial side of the service, how about when tables turn and a Kiteezi-like situation arises? Are you sure you are conversant with the breadth of responsibility that goes with your job?
Some public servants count their service time in terms of what they reap from the service rather than what they put in. They literally serve time and as long as they are assured of a regular pay check, the rest is clockwork. Watch out, friends! One of these days something will happen in your line of duty and yourself and the whole hierarchy with which you operate will be held accountable. Woe unto you if the “something” involves loss of life. The blood of the deceased will literally spill on your hands.
In the medical profession, doctors are increasingly being held liable for the deaths of their patients, more so in cases where the deaths are deemed to occur as a result of negligence. The unintentional death of a person as a result of reckless or negligent acts can lead the doctor to face criminal charges, and the penalties are quite stiff. If a doctor on the ward received an emergency case of an accident victim and instead of attending to the patient with urgency resorts to watching comic strips on social media against the pleas of the patient and attendants, why wouldn’t such a charge bite?
Or if a pregnant woman was conveyed to a health facility and the medics, well paid and housed by Government within the premises fail to attend to her and she dies, why wouldn’t the charge of negligence stand?
The same with engineers at building sites; a “small” error, let’s say failure to advise workmen on the right mix for the concrete or the right iron bars of the appropriate strengths leads to the collapse of a structure, and people die. That would be big trouble on one’s hand. Even mistakes like failing to place warning signs at a sign during works, which leads to death of injury is something to ponder about seriously. Direct and indirect responsibility!
What is one’s insurance while in Government service? One; simply do the correct thing as expected of you. What are the terms of your employment or deployment? Make sure you understand the terms clearly and stick to them. Avoid corrupt tendencies or any action that dents your integrity and exposes you to ridicule. Read the Government standing orders and the relevant laws and policies.
One thing that an ideal public servant should do at all times is read, read and read! Read about public policy and its application in your line of duty and the general functioning of the government structure. There is a tendency for workers to operate as if in isolation in a given department forgetting that Government is a composition of different departments complementing each other to achieve the same goal of serving citizens.
Two; consult with others-up, below and the sides- if not sure of what to do. Collective responsibility mitigates the risk of making makes that lead to personal culpability.
The author is the Special Assistant to H.E the President of Uganda-Press and Mobilisation
Contact: faruk.kirunda@statehouse.go.ug
0776980486/0783990861
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