Public Service Commission fails to meet deadline for District Commissions

What the report says

The Public Service Commission has said it will not meet a deadline set by Local Government Minister Balaam Barugahara for districts and cities without functioning service commissions to have them in place by August 30. The issue arose on Friday when the commission appeared before Parliament’s Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises (COSASE) to answer questions from the Auditor General’s 2024/2025 report.

According to the report by The Independent Uganda, MPs raised concern that some local governments had already passed resolutions and forwarded nominees for approval, but were unsure whether the process could be completed on time. Public Service Commission Permanent Secretary John Geoffrey Mbabazi said the national commission could not act because it was not fully constituted. He explained that the terms of all nine commissioners, including the chairperson and deputy chairperson, expired on July 28, and although replacement names were sent to President Yoweri Museveni, appointments had not yet been made.

Mbabazi said the commission would begin work on the district nominations once new members are appointed and inducted. He also told lawmakers that nominations submitted before July had been handled, while later submissions remained pending. Elgon North MP Gerald Nangoli questioned delays in processing nominees and asked what happens to institutions needing the commission’s services in the meantime.

The development matters because district and city service commissions handle recruitment, promotion and other human-resource decisions in local government. COSASE, chaired by Muwada Nkunyingi, also reviewed audit concerns including unspent funds and partially implemented activities at the commission.