The Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has issued a sharp warning to Minister for Local Government Balaam Ateenyi and State Minister Justine Nameere, urging them to widen their ongoing anti-corruption campaign to district-level recruitment bodies accused of systemic bribery.
In a message, the doctors’ body claimed that District Service Commissions across the country have become “crime scenes disguised as recruitment offices,” where public sector jobs are allegedly sold to the highest bidder.
“Dear Balaam Barugahar and Justine Nameere,” the statement reads in part, “as you clean up local government, kindly take keen interest in District Service Commissions.”
The association highlighted disturbing allegations that qualified medical professionals are routinely asked to pay between Shs2 million and Shs5 million merely to be shortlisted for jobs.
In more extreme cases, candidates are reportedly told to raise up to Shs40 million to “properly secure” employment.
The claims suggest a deeply entrenched system where merit is sidelined in favour of financial influence, locking out competent but less affluent applicants.
UMA further alleged that when applicants fail to raise the required bribes, recruitment processes are deliberately frustrated.
“If applicants are broke and the ‘revenue’ collected is not enough, the vacancy is simply re-advertised the next year,” the statement added, describing a cycle that preys on desperate job seekers.
The association also raised concerns over positions remaining vacant for years, not due to a shortage of qualified personnel, but because they are allegedly being reserved for relatives of influential officials still in training.
“There are posts that remain vacant for years… because they are being kept for someone’s relative who has just joined university,” UMA stated.
The revelations come at a time when ministers Ateenyi and Nameere have intensified nationwide efforts to tackle corruption within local governments, a move that has drawn both praise and heightened scrutiny.
UMA warned that the alleged practices not only undermine public trust but also cripple service delivery, particularly in the health sector where staffing gaps remain critical.
“Public jobs are being auctioned, while qualified Ugandans remain unemployed. This rot deserves a serious investigation and decisive treatment,” the association concluded.