Minister Balaam Proposes Halting Salaries for Interdicted Civil Servants

Minister for Local Government Balaam Barugahara has proposed significant reforms to public service rules, aiming to halt salary payments for civil servants who have been interdicted due to allegations of corruption, indiscipline, or poor performance.

Appearing before the Parliamentary Committee on Public Service and Local Government, Minister Balaam highlighted concerns that the current six-month interdiction period allows some officials to exploit legal loopholes. He stated that certain civil servants use court processes to deliberately delay their cases, enabling them to return to their positions before investigations are concluded.

“The new Attorney General is making a new order—once interdicted you will not resume work till when your matter has been resolved,” Balaam told MPs. He further suggested, “Actually that order should say once interdicted due to indiscipline and gravity, you should not even be paid. You should not be paid unless when you have won the case, then you can pay your missing salary.”

Minister Balaam cited instances where technical officers allegedly use the judicial system to frustrate disciplinary proceedings. He recounted a scenario where officials might spend a brief period in custody, secure bail, and then delay court proceedings until the interdiction period expires, after which they resume their duties, potentially continuing corrupt practices.

As an example of perceived impunity, Balaam pointed to Sembabule District. He mentioned a specific case of a head teacher who allegedly refused to comply with a transfer order issued two years prior, despite repeated directives.

On the broader anti-corruption efforts within local governments, Balaam reported that 44 officials have faced court over alleged corruption attempts. An additional 26 cases are ready for prosecution, with nine still under investigation in the initial 12 districts targeted by these operations. The anti-corruption drive has since expanded to Pakwach, Budaka, and Kween districts.

The parliamentary committee also raised questions regarding the accountability of internal auditors who approve questionable transactions and emphasized the need for robust mechanisms to recover public funds lost to corruption. Minister Balaam urged the public to actively participate in combating corruption, stressing that while leadership is provided by ministers, the broader community plays a crucial role.

This is a summary of an article from Nile Post.