By Hillary Keingana
BUSHENYI; Bushenyi district has finally constituted a District Service Commission after nine months without one, a period that crippled recruitment and service delivery.
The breakthrough came after district council unanimously approved Mr. James Mujurizi as a member of the commission to replace a member whose name had been deferred by the Public Service Commission.
Bushenyi District LC5 Chairman, Prosper Twebaze confirmed the development with hopes the Public Service Commission will now clear the new team quickly.
“We had constituted a District Service Commission but one of the members that we had instituted, his name was deferred at the Public Service Commission. I’m happy to inform the public that council has anonymously passed the name James Mujurizi who has been around and has worked in Bushenyi district local government for a period of more than two decades and has good conduct,” he said. Mujurizi is a retired civil servant who served Bushenyi district local government for a good number of years.
“It has been long overdue that our district has not had a district service commission for the last nine months and I hope our people will start services because this is a service entity,” he added.
Twebaze later added that all mandated positions in his office were filled without soliciting bribes.
“All the positions that are mandated in my office, I have not solicited anything from anyone including the three people that I have nominated myself. There hasn’t been any money involved in these nominations more so these approvals,” Twebaze said.
“I don’t expect anyone from those who have been passed by the council resolution to seek or ask for any money or inducements for a service to Bushenyi people. If there are calls for recruitment, please hand in your application and don’t go compromising these people because money is money,” he added.
The Director of Western Ankole Civil Society Forum (WACSOF), Lee Kakonge, who petitioned the Public Service Commission and State House Anti-Corruption Unit, said the first appointment process in December 2025 was fraudulent.
“The issue of district service commission is an issue of November 2025 when the district commission expired and the district council together with its executive were supposed to appoint new commissioners. On 18th December, new commissioners were appointed and unfortunately through fraudulent means, we are all aware of the bribery that took place,” Kakonge said.
“We complained to the Public Service Commission and State House Anti-Corruption Unit which came here, investigated and said that the rules were not followed, procedures were faulty and the new process had to be undertaken to appoint new district service commission and that was way back in March this year,” he added.
Kakonge said the vacuum affected recruitment of teachers, health workers, administrators and parish chiefs at a time many staff were retiring, yet the law requires a new commission within three months of expiry. Kakonge also warned leaders against being remote-controlled.
“Our leaders have to make decisions on their own by not being influenced and under remote control by some big people around because Bushenyi is collapsing slowly and we didn’t get a minister in this government because of infightings,” he said.
Residents say the saga is not new and is driven by politics.
“It’s not the first time the district service commission crisis has hit Bushenyi, this also happened in 2017. Everyone in Bushenyi is politically awake and they are fighting here and there because everyone wants space,” one resident said.
The district now awaits final clearance from the Public Service Commission to fully operationalize the commission and resume recruitments. End.
