Balaam asks State House to investigate Luuka govt job sales

LUUKA - The state minister for children and youth affairs Balaam Barugahara has asked the State House Anti-Corruption Unit (SHACU) to investigate officials of Luuka district Service Commission for allegedly extorting money from youth applying for jobs.

He said he was concerned that the practice of selling jobs to young applicants has become rampant in the area, with many parents and youths complaining about being asked to pay money to get enlisted for interviews.

Many complainants insist that despite paying money to officials, they end up not getting the jobs.

He said he was also concerned that many youths were not benefiting from many government programmes, including the Youth Livelihood Programme (YLP) and wanted the officials managing it to account for the money they had been receiving.

The minister said this while reacting to complaints from several youths during a public rally on Saturday at Lambala Trading Center in Irongo sub-county, Luuka district.

The function, dubbed ‘Ekibinuko va Mundoolo’, was also characterised by music performances from local artists, held under the theme “Breaking barriers, building prosperity’.

It was organized by the gender ministry in conjunction with Annet Nabirye, an aspiring member of parliament for Luuka district, and Haji Farook Kirunda, the presidential assistant on press and mobilization.

It was attended by Veronica Babirye Kadogo, a member of the East African Legislative Assembly, Resident District Commissioner Hawa Ndege, and Luuka North MP, Eng. Luke Kyobe Inyensiko, Luuka South MP, Stephen Kisa Bakubalwayo, Regional Police Commander Adam Kakaire and District Police Commander, Moses Akena, among others. 

One of the residents, Yasi Musumbo told the minister that he was asked to pay sh1.5m for his daughter, who had applied for a job as a nurse but managed to pay an advance of sh700,000, but she never got the job.

Another complainant, Robert Isabirye, the chairperson of the Lambala Boda Boda Association, said they applied to get money from the YLP but were surprised to hear strange names on the list of beneficiaries that was read at the rally.

“They refused to give us money, but we have just heard from the list read to us of people who received sh12m in our name, including a woman, we don’t have any woman riding a boda boda in our association,” Isabirye said.

He said that after complaining to the minister, the RDC and other security officials asked him to go with his team and make a statement so that the matter could be investigated. 

The minister said he was not convinced by the explanation given by the Chief Administrative Officer, Simon Akirenyi, about the accountability of the YLP funds and asked the RPC and DPC to take up the matter.  The minister toured several youth groups that received funding, including Busonga Group and Kiyunga Tailoring Group, among others.

The minister said they were working towards improving President Yoweri Museveni’s poor performance in the district, saying he received only 40% in the 2021 general elections.

He said corruption could be one of the reasons many residents, especially the youth, are not benefiting from the government programmes. 

The minister said he was also monitoring the 30% allocated to women under the Parish Development Model. 

Here is a picture highlight from the function as captured by Vision Group's Eddie Ssejjoba;

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Hundreds turned up for the rally.

Fireworks at the event

Security was also tight

Entertaining the electorate