Action must be taken against ghost schools - Museveni

 By Conan Businge and John Semakula

Uganda loses sh28b annually to ghost teachers, pupils and schools, according to the ministry of finance.

The government is hatching a plan to halt the losses. President Yoweri Museveni is also concerned with the ghosts eating down the education system and wants action taken immediately.

In a couple of weeks, the Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi will meet the ministries of education, public service, finance, local government to find measures of cleaning the payroll.

The education minister, Jessica Alupo, said: “It is true that there are ghosts in the sector, but we will make sure this is sorted out quickly.”

Investigations by the Inspector General of Government (IGG) last year revealed a racket of workers in the public service ministry, who have been involved in falsification of the payroll.

The IGG’s report says officials in the public service connive with the overall supervisor of Computer Room Unit to create ghost teachers.

Apart from the public service’s staff, some officials in local governments also create ghost teachers and pupils.

The judicial commission of inquiry into primary and secondary education service has dragged on for years amidst high financial expenditure.

However, the commission, which started work two years ago, is yet to finalize the report.

The President, in his New Year address said: “I set up an inquiry into UPE almost three years ago, but I am surprised I have not received the report.”

But the commission’s lead counsel, Keturah Katunguka, says that the final report will be handed over to the President in a few months’ time.  

Meanwhile, the government is carrying out a forensic audit of the Government payroll, which has thrown top district officials into panic, fearing that the exercise may expose thousands of the ghost staff they recruited. 

Saturday Vision has learnt that a chain of top district officials are pondering how to remove the ghosts from the payroll in the shortest period before the team of auditors catches up with them.

Most of the ghosts are reportedly teachers and health workers who were recruited by DEOs, and district personnel into the service and on the payroll without the necessary qualifications.

The Assistant Commissioner in charge of payroll in the Ministry of Public Service, Savia Mugwanya said the audit had gone to the second phase of identifying the flaws.

Mugwanya said the flaws will be exposed and the gaps bridged. But another source said those who will be found to have recruited ghost staff will be penalised.

Most of the districts where there is a huge number of ghost staff, schools and health centres have no staff, yet the payroll is full of ghosts. There are many qualified teachers in Uganda who are unemployed.