Nwoya chairman asks staff to reside within district
Oryema argued that having staff reside closer to their duty stations would improve efficiency and ensure greater availability of personnel during working hours.
Location of Nwoya district on the Uganda Map.
NWOYA - Nwoya district chairperson Patrick Okello Oryema has urged technical staff to reside and commute to work from within the district rather than travelling daily from Gulu city and neighbouring districts.
The appeal followed a meeting between the district executive committee and technical staff held last week, where Oryema said the move would help improve service delivery and strengthen the district workforce.
According to Oryema, some technical staff commute from their homes in Gulu city and other districts bordering Nwoya, a practice he said has increased fuel consumption because district vehicles and motorcycles are often used for the journeys.
He argued that having staff reside closer to their duty stations would improve efficiency and ensure greater availability of personnel during working hours.
He explained that most subcounties have only one or two blocks of staff quarters, which are typically occupied by the sub-county chief, assistant accountant, community development officers and askaris.
As a result, many other staff members have no access to official accommodation and are forced to commute from outside the district.
Nwoya district chief administrative officer Richard Matete said he understood the chairperson's concerns but noted that there is no law requiring district employees to reside within their areas of deployment.
He said what matters is that technical staff report to their workstations by 8:00 am and remain on duty until 5:00 pm, in line with the Local Government Standing Orders.
Matete emphasised that employees are free to live where they choose, provided they fulfil their responsibilities and maintain the required working hours.