The Minister of Local Government, Balaam Barugahara Ateenyi, has directed all district and city local governments to fully constitute their District and City Service Commissions by August 30, 2026, in a move aimed at accelerating the recruitment of substantive staff and addressing persistent staffing gaps that have undermined service delivery across the country.
In a directive addressed to District Chairpersons, City Mayors, Chief Administrative Officers (CAOs) and Town Clerks, the minister said the deadline follows consultations with the Ministry of Public Service to fast-track the recruitment of more than 800 approved vacant positions in local governments.
The directive comes amid growing concern over staffing shortages caused by disputes and court battles involving District Service Commissions, which have stalled recruitment, left critical positions vacant and resulted in billions of shillings in wage allocations going unutilised.
According to the minister, the prolonged absence of fully constituted Service Commissions has weakened institutional capacity, slowed the implementation of government programmes and forced many officers to serve in acting capacities for years.
“The prolonged absence of fully constituted Service Commissions has resulted in many officers serving in acting capacities for extended periods. In some local governments, officers have continued serving in acting positions for over 10 years, which is unacceptable,” the directive states.
Barugahara said the continued reliance on acting appointments has undermined accountability, supervision, project implementation and career progression. In some cases, funds allocated for salaries have been returned to the Consolidated Fund because local governments failed to recruit substantive staff.
One such case is Kapelebyong District, where more than Shillings 500 million earmarked for wages was returned to the Treasury this month after the district failed to fill vacant positions. The district, which became operational on July 1, 2018, continues to operate with nearly all heads of department serving in acting capacities. Only the Head of Administration, who also serves as the Deputy Chief Administrative Officer, holds a substantive appointment.
Recruitment efforts last financial year were halted after members of the District Service Commission were suspended by the district council over integrity concerns. The commissioners subsequently sought court intervention to block the appointment of a new commission, preventing recruitment before the close of the financial year.
The dispute traces back to November 2025, when the commission’s term expired. Former LCV Chairperson, now Kapelebyong County MP, Francis Akorikin, had renewed the commissioners’ contracts a year earlier, a decision later challenged by the district council, which eventually suspended the commission.
To address similar challenges nationwide, Barugahara directed that once District and City Service Commissions are lawfully constituted, recruitment should commence immediately and be conducted transparently in accordance with the Constitution and public service laws. He said officers currently serving in acting capacities as heads of departments will be required to hand over to substantively appointed officers once recruitment is completed.
The minister further instructed local government leaders to urgently resolve disputes delaying the appointment of Service Commission members. Where necessary, he said, new commissions comprising individuals of proven integrity should be constituted in accordance with the law.
In a strong warning against corruption, Barugahara prohibited the appointment of individuals implicated in corruption, abuse of office or misconduct to District and City Service Commissions. He also condemned the reported sale of government jobs in some local governments, insisting that recruitment into the public service must remain strictly merit based.
“Any person found soliciting, demanding, receiving or offering money or any other inducement in exchange for public employment shall be held personally accountable and dealt with in accordance with the law,” the directive states.
The minister emphasised that lawfully constituted Service Commissions must operate independently and free from political interference to ensure credible recruitment, improved service delivery and efficient utilisation of public resources-URN. Give us feedback on this story through our email: kamwokyatimes@gmail.com
