KAMPALA, UGANDA – Lawmakers on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have warned the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development against keeping senior officers in acting roles beyond the legal six-month limit.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The warning was issued on Monday, February 23, 2025, during a heated session where the committee summoned a finance ministry team led by Deputy Secretary to the Treasury Patrick Ocailap to respond to queries in the Auditor General’s report for Fiscal Year 2024/2025.
During the engagement, legislators argued that the trend is severely undermining accountability and crippling effective management across the public sector.
The proceedings quickly shifted focus to what MPs condemned as a systemic institutional failure in human resource management, pointing to deep-rooted administrative neglect across government departments.
Lawmakers warned that the prolonged use of interim appointments creates a vacuum of responsibility, leaving acting officers without the authority or job security needed to make decisive, long-term decisions.
They stressed that this practice, now increasingly common, slows government operations and reflects deep management challenges that require urgent correction.
Mr. Ocailap attributed the appointment delays to a Cabinet decision that proposed scrapping certain director positions.
He explained that this, combined with a broader government restructuring, has created a significant backlog in human resource approvals.
The delays in confirming staff appointments, according to Mr. Ocailap, stem from the Cabinet directive to abolish certain posts. The uncertainty resulting from this ongoing restructuring process has led to the prolonged acting arrangements.
“The restructuring is intended to streamline government, but we acknowledge that the uncertainty during this transition has led to these prolonged acting arrangements,” Ocailap told the committee.
Unsatisfied with the explanation, the committee directed the Ministry of Finance to provide a comprehensive list of all officers currently serving in acting capacities within its purview.
Furthermore, the committee resolved that all future entities appearing before it must submit similar lists, as Parliament intensifies its oversight role on staffing norms and accountability in public institutions.
The directive marks a firm stance by the legislature to enforce compliance with public service standing orders and ensure that permanent leadership is installed to drive efficiency in government.
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