By Leonard Kamugisha Akida,
KAMPALA
A report by the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has shown that people from western Uganda are occupying the most of top offices in Uganda.
“Over a third of all government public service jobs were found to be held by people from western Uganda while nearly half of the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of government agencies are also from the same region,” read a report in parts
This was revealed by the commission Chairperson Hon. Safia Nalule Jjuuko while releasing annual report on regional distribution of employment in Uganda on Tuesday.
“We want to bring to the attention of the government the imbalances that exist in regard to access to employment so as to influence policy and practices in the creation and distribution of employment opportunities,” Nalule said.
According to the report, people from Western Uganda hold 4489 or about 36% of the 12520 public service jobs in the country. Central region (Buganda) follows in this category at 24% followed by the northern region at 20% while eastern Uganda trails at 19%.
The report further found that up to 47% of all CEOs of government agencies are people from the West. The northern region holds 20%, followed by the central region at 18% while the eastern region has 15%.
UPC Reacts
In response to report, the Uganda People’s Congress (UPC) spokesperson, Sharon Oyat Arach said dominance of westerners in public service is no longer news and that Ugandans are starting to adopt to this new normal.
“I know there are a lot of people in the government who are not qualified and that’s why we have issues of corruption, swindling and mismanagement of public funds,”
She however challenged that opportunities should be based on merit not one’s tribe, race, sex or gender.
“Let us hire people based on qualifications and experience. These should be the parameters for employment not because someone is from a certain tribe,” Arach emphasized.
EOC Recommendations
In a report, the EOC recommended that all public institutions should be encouraged to include in their annual performance reports the status of employment disaggregated by gender, disability, youth, adults, elderly, sub-region, and level of employment.
The Ministry of Gender Labor and Social Development was also urged to monitor public institutions and enforce the implementation of disability-friendly facilities by public institutions.
