Rwampara District authorities have raised concern over severe staffing shortages, saying the district is operating with only 46 percent of its required workforce, a gap that is affecting service delivery across key sectors.
Rwampara Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Fred Tushabe Rugara says the district should have at least 80 percent of its approved positions filled but is struggling to recruit because of inadequate wage allocation. Tushabe says the district has repeatedly asked the Ministry of Finance to increase its wage allocation to enable it to recruit more staff, but the request is yet to be addressed.
He says the staffing gap has affected several departments, with the health sector among the hardest hit as health facilities upgraded to higher levels continue to operate without adequate personnel. He cites Kibare Health Centre III, which has only three staff members out of the 54 required. Kinoni Health Centre IV, which requires three midwives, currently has only one.
Rwampara District Chairperson Richard Owomugasho says inadequate staffing has been one of the major challenges facing the district since its creation seven years ago. Owomugasho says the education sector has also been severely affected, particularly secondary schools, where the number of teachers is far below the required staffing levels.
He cites Bugamba Secondary School, which has an enrolment of about 1,600 students but only 18 teachers on the government payroll. He says the shortage has forced parents to contribute money to hire additional teachers to ensure learning continues.
Owomugasho is appealing to the government to increase Rwampara District’s wage allocation to enable it to recruit more teachers, health workers and other critical personnel.
He says the district is also facing challenges in its works department, which lacks adequate equipment to rehabilitate existing roads and open up new ones.Rwampara District was carved out of Mbarara, Isingiro and Ntungamo districts, as well as Mbarara City, and has now been in existence for seven years-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
