MBALE, Uganda – The Head of Public Service and Secretary to Cabinet, Lucy Nakyobe, has directed permanent secretaries across all ministries to stop extending contracts for civil servants who have reached retirement age.
Nakyobe said she will also advise President Yoweri Museveni against seconding retirees on extended contracts, arguing that the salary and pension enhancements for senior officials should benefit their immediate junior colleagues instead.
“If a senior person has retired, the public service position should immediately be occupied by their understudy,” she said.
Speaking at the 5th Administrative Officers’ Forum, Nakyobe said she plans to meet with the chairperson of the Public Service Commission to ensure that all requests for contract extensions are rejected.
“I have already turned away several Chief Administrative Officers who had submitted requests for extension of contracts,” she said. “They shouldn’t be denying others a chance for promotion.”
The government allocated 57 billion Ugandan shillings (about $15.2 million) in the 2025-2026 financial year for salary enhancements for senior public officers, including permanent secretaries, commissioners and chief administrative officers.
Nakyobe also cautioned administrators against laziness and corruption, which she said have damaged the image of the civil service. She warned young officers against living luxurious lives through illicit means.
“Young people today do not fear anything; they are shameless,” she said. “Accounting officers in charge of resources must be very careful and alert—the enemy is near you and may make you incur financial losses.”
In his remarks, Yunus Kakande, the permanent secretary in the Office of the President, urged Nakyobe to prevent the creation of new director positions in ministries, stating that the president had previously scrapped them because they were redundant. Nakyobe confirmed she has received such requests but will continue to discourage them.
Emmanuel Muguga, the chairperson of the Public Administrators Association of Uganda, praised Nakyobe’s directive, saying that contract extensions for retirees demoralize junior officers.
“After serving until 60, if you have failed to groom your replacements or lack the capacity to do so, it demoralizes others,” Muguga said.
