President Yoweri Museveni has once again addressed the issue of tribalism in the award of public service jobs, following claims that Banyankore and other people from western Uganda had dominated government jobs.
In the following piece, Museveni explains why he thinks it is wrong for people to claim that other Ugandan ethnic groups and regions had been left out:
By Yoweri Museveni
On the issue of tribalism, especially referring to jobs of the Public Service, people who push that talk are wasting the time of our People and misdirecting them. Jobs and wealth do not come from just being employees in the Public Service.
During the colonial times and after Independence up to 1971, the Army and Police of Uganda was dominated by Acholis and Langi.
In the interview Mzee Obote gave in Dar-es-Salaam, he revealed that the Uganda Army by the 25th of January, 1971, had been comprised of a total of 8000 soldiers, 4,300 of whom were Acholis, 1,300 were Langis etc.
This was after 80 years of the Uganda Army being dominated by some of those groups.
What development had that domination caused in Acholi, Lango or West Nile where those People were coming from? Permanent houses, businesses etc.?
Today, the majority of the jobs are from the Private Sector: • Industry – 700,000 • Services – 1,300,000 • ICT – 170,000 • Agriculture – 11,965,200.
Therefore, even if the Public service was dominated by the Banyankore, it may not help that community to be any better than the others. Besides, the claim that the Banyankore or the Westerners are monopolizing the 480,000 Public service jobs cannot be true.
Although, of course, I have not yet studied that diversion from addressing the four sectors of wealth and jobs that I always tell you about Commercial Agriculture, Industry, Services, and ICT.
Why and how would those Banyankore dominate the Public Service where the Public Service Commission was last held by a Westerner, the late Mzee Bikangaga from 1979 to 1990.
Since that time, the Public service Commission has been headed by Zikusooka, a Musoga, Muzaale, a Musoga, Ralph Ochan, an Acholi, and the membership is always balanced.
The Education Service Commission was headed by Waggwa Lubega for a long time.
The current chairperson of the Education Service Commission is Sam Luboga, a Musoga.
The Chairperson of the Health Service Commission is Dr. Pius Okong, a “munyankore” from Teso.
The leaders of those commissions mentioned above are all very highly qualified people in their fields. If they recruit only Banyankore, those Banyankore must be exceptionally gifted. We shall get to the bottom of this nonsense.
In any case, being recruited into the Civil Service, Teaching Service, Judicial Service (this is the only Commission headed by Kabiito from Western Uganda) or Health Service is by both written and oral examinations.
How can it be that Westerners, much less the Banyankore, are the only ones that get recruited?
There are promotional examinations for each level advancement once within the Service.
Museveni is the President of Uganda
Read: Museveni: I’m comfortable without Banyankore around me; leave UPDF out of tribal nonsense
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