Uganda: Streamline absorption of staff into Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA)

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Legislators on the Committee of Science, Technology and Innovation are concerned with the manner in which transfers of staff between Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is being conducted.

The MPs noted that some staff members within public service structures were denied from assuming positions in proposed MDAs on transfer.

The MPs concerns were raised in a meeting with the Minister for Public Service Hon. Muruli Mukasa who. presented a status update on the absorption of former staff of Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, on Wednesday, 05 April 2023.

MPs observed that six senior staff members who were transferred are still waiting to be absorbed in five other ministries.

The directive by the Head of Public Service transferred officials to Ministries of Energy and Mineral Development, Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities, Trade, Industry and Cooperatives and ICT and National Guidance.

The Committee Chairperson, Hon. Remigio Achia said that in some ministries where officers were transferred, they were 'out-rightly rejected', with allegations of some Permanent Secretaries hoarding job positions.
“These ministries where people are being transferred to have vacant positions. Under what law are these officers being rejected?  Who is supposed to pay them since their contracts still subsist?” Achia asked.

Hon. Gorreth Namugga (NUP, Mawogola County South) said there is urgent need to handle salary issues for the transferred officers so that they are accounted for in the proposed MDAs.
“When it comes to arrears in salaries, let us not wait any longer. Let us invite the respective permanent secretaries and ensure that these people are paid as soon as possible,” said Namugga.

Hon. Polycarp Ogwari (Indep., Agule County) said that many officers who have not yet been absorbed in new MDAs are experiencing financial hardships because of little or no payment of their salaries.
“If these people had remained in their previous positions, were they not going to be paid for this long? Why not transfer that budget to their new stations and pay them? Some of them have lost their property due to failure to service their loans,” Ogwari said.

Oyam District Woman MP, Hon. Santa Alum tasked the Minister of Public Service to follow up the progress of the absorption of officers in the newly assigned MDAs.
“Now that we are finalising the budget cycle and the supplementary has already passed, I suggest that the minister should advise how best to assist these people through the structures of the ministry,” said Alum.

Muruli Mukasa proposed to the committee that the permanent secretaries from the listed ministries are invited to explain the status of adsorption of staff transferred to their jurisdictions.
“We sat at an administrative level and agreed that these officers would go to these ministries. The technical people and permanent secretaries attended these meetings and did not raise any complaints. But when it comes to operationalisation, we are seeing a different story,” Muruli Mukasa said.

He added that the arrears of the transferred officers will be paid after they have been successfully absorbed in the proposed MDAs.
“The officers have not been crossed from the payroll because they are still technically employees of the service of government and cannot be disadvantaged. When they are eventually settled in their new positions, their arrears will be paid,” Muruli Mukasa added.

He also said that there was an agreement that the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation would continue budgeting for its transferred officers until they have been absorbed in the new MDAs.

The Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation, Hon. Monica Musenero said some officers transferred to her ministry declined to take on their new positions.
“I interacted with some staff who were placed somewhere and did not want it and preferred to go to another place. This has disrupted the transfer process,” Musenero said.

She added that staff transferred to her ministry declined the new positions because of its contract based deployment.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Parliament of the Republic of Uganda.