Kampala Capital City Authority Executive Director Dorothy Kasega Kisaka (PHOTO/Courtesy)
KAMPALA, UGANDA – A former job applicant who missed out in recruitment to work with the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has petitioned the Inspectorate of Government to investigate improper recruitment of staff at the authority.
Under public service provisions, KCCA staff are recruited by the Public Service Commission (PSC) after interviews and vetting. The petitioner cites several positions, including that of director legal affairs and director treasury services, which were recently filled with Frank Rusa Nyakaana and Moses Waibi, respectively.
“I was wrongly denied a chance to work with KCCA because the PSC did not do enough due diligence during the recruitment process,” reads part of the petition.
“Many undeserving people ended up getting the jobs at the expense of worthy candidates.”
According to the petition, Rusa was not eligible to appointment on grounds that he did not possess an advocates practising certificate. On the other hand, Waibi is accused of financial impropriety while still working with the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (Ubos).
Efforts to reach out to Winnie Kabogoza, the PSC chairperson, were futile.
RUSA RESPONDS
The Advocate Regulations Act stipulates any person who practices as an advocate without a valid practising certificate commits professional misconduct.
“This means he cannot represent KCCA in any legal matter,” reads the petition.
Reached out for a comment, Rusa admitted not having a practising certificate but reasoned it was not a requirement in the interview process, both per the advert and even during the interviews last year.
“Traditionally, or even in practice, public service lawyers such as state attorneys are not required to have practising certificates. As long as public service finds them suitable, they represent the government in all courts of law without the process of getting practising certificates or even needing enrolment to the bar,” he said.
“However, when I started work at KCCA, I established that the legal department was in fact registered as a law firm and that its lawyers had practising certificates. As such, I decided to renew my practising certificate. The process is ongoing and I should have it soon.”
Rusa further noted that his lack of a practising certificate in the interim will not jeopardize his work as team leader of the legal department as he is currently not representing KCCA in court.
“All court matters are led by the focal officer, deputy director for Litigation who reports to me. My work as director Legal involves overseeing and coordinating legal support to the authority, covering criminal investigations, general legal counsel, debt recovery, litigation and strategic leadership. I am well suited to do these and I am doing very well with my team of over 50 persons, including 15 lawyers all with practising certificates,” he said.
On his part, Waibi said there are some people who want to bring him down.
“There will always be people who are not happy when you are climbing up. There is no way the PSC was compromised in the recruitment process. It was competitive because we were shortlisted and invited for interviews. Even the vetting took its time. It was in March 2023 that I was called to be informed I was successful.
On the issue of financial impropriety, he said he refunded all the money he was accused of taking by the IGG.
“I had been assigned field tasks but my failure to go to the field was due to the Cov- id-19 lockdown that restricted movement. So, I refunded the money and the matter was resolved,” he said.
Geoffery Serugo
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