Study: Over 130,000 Ugandan civil servants 'bought' jobs
A report by Uganda's Inspectorate of Government reveals that one out of three civil servants bribed their way into the job. Now there are calls to reform the entire recruitment process.
The recently released report by Uganda's Inspectorate of Government (IG) shows that 35 per cent of job seekers in Uganda paid a staggering USh 29 billion (Sh1.05 billion, $7.73 million, €7.1 million) in bribes between 2018 and 2022 to secure civil service jobs.
That means, out of the 480,000 Ugandan civil servants on the payroll, nearly 133,000 paid their way to employment.
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Over those five years, job applicants were asked to pay a total of up to USh 78 billion in bribes, with some recruiters seeking as much as USh 50 million for senior roles, such as department heads.
"Some even take out loans to pay these bribes, hoping to recover the money through kickbacks once employed," Beti Kamya Turwomwe, Uganda's Inspector General (IG), was quoted in a press release.
She added that her agency's new strategy includes tracing and recovering assets acquired through corrupt practices.
Health and education are two of the sectors where most of the bribes were paid or requested. The IG's damning report points to systemic graft in the public sector's hiring process. According to some reports, Uganda loses around $400 million every year to corruption, nearly 10 per cent of its national budget.
More bribery for civil jobs at the local level
At the district level, the IG warned that bribery for jobs in the public sector was far worse, citing figures as high as 85 per cent.
"The situation has become a bit messy," Tom Wanyakala, a lecturer in governance and leadership at the Uganda Management Institute (UMI), told DW. The retired civil servant said that in the past, workers were mostly recruited on merit.
"When you joined the civil service in the 1980s, they [government recruiters] would come to the university. Back then, we only had one university, and they would take the cream; upper second and first classes. They would recruit them on merit, induct them and post them or transfer them to various stations, both in local governments and central governments," Wanyakala said.
A lot of civil service recruitment happens at the district level. However, according to the report, informal deals facilitated by middlemen, forged documents, "ghost" appointments, nepotistic placements and direct cash handouts to local officials deny the qualified applicants the job positions.
According to Brigadier General Henry Isoke, the Head of the State House Anti-Corruption Unit, job-selling remains widespread across Uganda's 146 districts. Isoke called for a speedy roll-out of e-recruitment to curb human interference in the job recruitment process.
DW correspondent in Kampala, Frank Yiga, says the news of the bribery does not come as a surprise for many Ugandans, but the revelation that 35% of public servants are "bribed to get a job is shocking."
According to a study from the Norwegian CHR Michelsen Institute, almost 40 per cent of Uganda's youth are unemployed.
Impact of bribes for jobs on service delivery
The IG regretted that, as a result of hiring people who paid bribes, service delivery was undermined due to incompetence and maladministration, particularly in critical sectors, such as health, licensing, and education.
In addition, corrupt recruitment inflates the payroll, thereby diverting much-needed funds that could have been spent on other projects.
It also increases the perception that government jobs are "for sale", while at the same time discouraging incentives for education and honest applications.
Analysts also say politically, employment based on how deep one's pocket is could erode citizens' trust in the government.
"It has become a cancer," said Wanyakala, adding that when one bribes their way to a job, it becomes transactional but not transformative public service delivery that developing countries like Uganda need.
"If you come into the public service by buying a job, your main focus becomes to recover the 'investment' you put into getting the job at the expense of serving the public," the retired civil servant told DW.
The IG recommended urgent audits and review of payroll at the district and local government levels. She also urged sanctions and prosecution of officials accused of soliciting or facilitating bribes.
There were calls to reform the recruitment process by standardising central vetting, introducing e-recruitment portals, and strengthening oversight.
The IG's report also urged transparency in public sector hiring, with stakeholders calling for a 'name and shame' list of anyone suspected of engaging in the practice and honouring incorruptible officials to encourage integrity.
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