Members of Parliament on the Local Government and Public Service Committee have renewed pressure on Public Service Minister Muruli Mukasa to explain measures to curb widespread corruption in District Service Commissions.
While interfacing with the Public Service Commission during the presentation of its ministerial policy statement, committee members—led by it’s chairperson and Gulu West( Bardege-Layibi Division) MP, Martin Ojara Mapenduzi—expressed concern over persistent corruption during district recruitment processes, calling for urgent intervention.
Amuria District Woman MP, Susan Amero, alongside Dodoth County MP, Ben Baatom, condemned the malpractice, noting that it sidelines qualified candidates in favor of friends and relatives.
Citing political interference and influence peddling in district-level recruitment, Amero proposed that District Service Commissioners be recruited at the national level to curb corruption and nepotism.
She further attributed the vice to the lack of stable salaries for commissioners, who currently depend on allowances from the district revenues rather than centralized government pay.
“If you are giving me an allowance and you are recruiting once a year and I get that opportunity, what do you think I can do? I think we really need to handle these people. If we have to get good results, these people should be paid so that we question them why they are extorting money. Otherwise it is dangerous to pay the chairman district service commission and leave out the members of the commission- Amero noted
In response, Minister Mukasa admitted that the members of this commission should be paid from the centre, adding that a salary scale for them should be really worked out, regardless of the richness of the district.
“Subjecting these people to the budget of the district is really reducing them and making them find ways of cutting corners, find ways of survival.” -Mukasa
The minister also pledged that if funds allow government will benchmark best practices from other jurisdictions and develop a structure for recruiting District Service Commissioners that minimizes vulnerability to corruption.
“if the members to these service commissions would indicate interest, (those who want to serve there), and then an interview is conducted by the public service commission at that level, as long as they have the qualifications, then those who qualify are appointed, but as long as those members are from those districts and so on, that would in a way reduce the political interference and other corrupt tendencies-Minister Mukasa said.
The Chairperson of the Public Service Commission, Winnie Agnes Kabogoza, applauded the committee for its continued support, noting that in the 2026/2027 financial year, the Commission’s flagship initiative—the rollout of an electronic recruitment system to 20 district and city service commissions—will significantly curb corruption.
She added that although the Commission’s budget has increased by 61%, from 11.8 billion shillings in the 2023/2024 financial year to 30.3 billion shillings in 2026/2027, several funding gaps remain.
These include challenges related to an aging vehicle fleet and the shortage of substantive district engineers, which continue to affect efficient service delivery.
