MPs want list of State House staff

Mar 10, 2008

MPs have asked the State House comptroller, Richard Muhinda, to produce his staff list to enable them verify the regional distribution of jobs. Muhinda was given up to 5:00pm today to submit the list to the public accounts committee.

By Mary Karugaba

MPs have asked the State House comptroller, Richard Muhinda, to produce his staff list to enable them verify the regional distribution of jobs. Muhinda was given up to 5:00pm today to submit the list to the public accounts committee chaired by Nandala Mafabi (FDC).

The MPs said there was “unfair” regional distribution of jobs in State House.

Last month, the Uganda Revenue Authority chief, Allen Kagina, had to produce a list of her staff following allegations that the tax body was employing people from only western Uganda, where President Yoweri Museveni comes from.

Muhinda’s trouble started when the committee discovered that State House had 607 employees instead of the 559 approved by the Ministry of Public Service.

The anomaly was raised in the Auditor General’s report for the financial year 2006. “Some posts have been over-filled, while others are grossly under-filled, particularly the office of the Principal Private Secretary, which is over-staffed with 69 personnel,” the report said.
The committee also heard that 233 vacancies existed in State House.
Muhinda argued that staffing was the responsibility of the Minister for the Presidency. “She has the names. It would be better if you asked her to table them to Parliament,” he said.
He added that revealing the names would endanger the life of the President.
Reagan Okumu (FDC) and Mafabi insisted that he produces the list of those “he thinks will not endanger the president’s life.”

“Leave out the names of those in the laundry and catering department and the PGB. We want those other officers,” Mafabi said, to which Muhinda agreed.


The MPs also clashed over Muhinda’s submission that the president had scaled down pledges and donations, limiting them only to the north and north-eastern Uganda.

According to the Auditor General, presidential pledges amounting to over sh6b have not been cleared.

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