Indiscipline, sense of entitlement killing Public Service

By Lukwago Ismail Isaac Ntegana

People like me who hate sluggishness and mediocrity most often find it very disturbing relating with people in the public sector. These people abuse their work with impunity. Uganda and Africa at large cannot achieve much with this kind of public service.

Most public servant complain about low pay and funding but cannot show much even for the little they are given. These are guys who know much about their rights and so little about their duties.

Most people go to their work places just to be seen there but not to serve. Their motivation is pay at the end of the month not service and transformation. They will spend more time trying to find better ways of cheating and beating the system than how to make the system better for everyone.

Our public servants have a strong sense of entitlement which has bred high level of impunity and indiscipline. Am 32 years and am often offended and insulted when the group that went to Luwero keeps reminding me and my cohort that the reason why they must abuse my rights and loot of public finances is because they liberated this country!! The veterans are free to take over any piece of land in part of the country on the count of having fought.  Would I have participated in the liberation struggle at my age or would every Ugandan have participated??!! Who would then have welcomed the war heroes??

Our political class has most insensitive people God has ever created. These guys need expensive cars as their entitlement yet all public services have many entitlements not met but never hold the country at ransom. Doctors need descent housing and my mum like other peasant are entitled to medical care  but have none. Can you imagine Comedian Kato Lubwama being entitled to the same pay and other facilitation as Hon Abdul Katuntu or Ssemujju Nganda. The guy will never even cough or smile in Parliament because he is totally lost and doesn't have the slightest idea of what takes place in that place. Many times the debate has had to be postponed due to lack of quorum and other times these same guys have to receive a presidential push in monetary times to perform their tasks. My allowances are taxed but their cannot be taxed and they are entitled to that.

Imagine public servants that strike when their pay is delayed yet they spend just quarter of their working time at these places of work. Most public servants use public offices as addresses for their private work while others have gone back to school at the expense of the people they must serve. They will arrive late at work and leave before the due time besides have prolonged lunch breaks. A visit at any local government head quarters will leave u very disappointed if you have strong sense of sense. Most supervisors to these people will either connive with them or will hated if they ask and demand for service. The best supervisor to these lazy people is one who doesn't mind them. This explains why rural private schools which in most cases have no trained teachers and facilities perform better than government aided schools with relatively well paid trained teachers.

Government aided teachers arrive and leave work at liberty. Have gone to many public offices and the ladies that are supposed to serve are talking on phone or talking to each other about domestic issues but at end of the month, these guys will be entitled to pay. I know of teachers posted in Kamuli but spend most of their Kampala and happy to tell whoever cares that they are public servants and therefore they don't need to work every day.

I believe salary must earned and not gotten and one should not demand for their rights before performing their duties or ensuring that the rights of others are protected. This sense of entitlement has eaten the foundation on which this beautiful country was built.

Public servants must perform their duties just as their counter parts in the private sector are doing. If the pay is low, please leave the job and find a well paying job instead of blocking another person who would have willing done that job.

The writer is a lecturer at the International University of East Africa