CONFIRMED: Museveni Hires 300 Assistant RDCs

Uganda’s president Gen Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni has appointed about 300 assistant RDCs and assistant RCCs, increasing public service expenditure on salaries and, consequently, the burden on tax payers.

According to the new structure, a district will have a Resident District Commissioner (RDC), a deputy RDC and two assistant RDCs. A city will have a Resident City Commissioner (RCC), a deputy RCC and two assistant RCCs.

The presidency was yet to release the official list of newly appointed assistant RCCs and assistant RDCs.

“I hereby clarify and confirm to the general public that the President’s Office has recruited two staffs in the RDC office to support with activities in the office. When we are complete with the requisite public service procedures a full list of successful staff will be published for your attention and support,” said presidency minister Milly Babirye Babalanda.

Some of the people appointed to assistant RCC and assistant RDC jobs are social media activists for the ruling National Resistance Movement (NRM), whose chairman is President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni, the country’s long serving leader.

A good number of them were also previously associated with the Office of the NRM National Chairman (ONC) where minister Babalanda and current deputy presidential press secretary Faruk Kirunda were powerful administrators.

Most of these ONC people had been instrumental in mobilizing support for Museveni, with some forming online taskforces. While all of them had hoped to land RDC jobs as Minister Babalanda became presidency minister (her docket is responsible for issues of RDCs and RCCs), all of them could not be absorbed.

The presidency embraced an arrangement to expand the office of RDC/RCC to include two assistant RDCs.

As is the case with the appointment of RDCs, RCCs and their deputies, no clear recruitment guidelines are followed. But it appears qualifying candidates must belong to the NRM and should also catch the eyes of officials in Babalanda’s presidency ministry.

The president’s office has previously been on the spot over allegations that people had to bribe officials to be added on the list of RDCs and their deputies. Minister Babalanda would later clear the air on these allegations. (See Details Here, There and Over There).