A recent report by the Inspectorate of Government (IGG), in collaboration with the Economic Policy Research Centre at Makerere University, has exposed the grim realities faced by job seekers in Uganda, where rampant corruption in recruitment by District Service Commissions.
A study titled “An Assessment of the Cost and Extent of Corruption in Recruitment by the District Service Commissions in Uganda” shows that applicants are often forced to pay large bribes or provide non-monetary favours, including sex, to secure jobs, yet some still end up without employment.
One chilling case highlighted in the report involves an applicant, referred to as KII Respondent, who was asked to pay UGX 12 million to secure a job that was not even advertised. Unable to raise the full amount, she paid UGX 4 million and was pressured to provide sexual favours as an additional “payment.” Despite these sacrifices, she did not secure the position.
“I was asked for UGX 12 million but only managed to pay UGX 4 million and sex on top of that; however, I did not get the job,” she revealed. The report notes that she was the only respondent who openly admitted to paying a non-monetary bribe, underscoring the prevalence of such exploitative practices.
Beyond cash bribes and sexual favours, many job applicants are forced to surrender part or all their future salaries for up to a year to secure employment.
“One has to surrender the salary for a whole year pay in order to secure a job,” another respondent told the researchers.
The IGG report, covering recruitment practices from 2018 to 2022, estimates that job applicants in local government were asked for bribes totalling UGX 78 billion, with UGX 29 billion actually paid across 20 sampled districts. This translates to an annual bribe payment of UGX 5.8 billion, or UGX 290 million per district.
Extrapolated to Uganda’s 146 districts, the annual cost of bribes paid reaches a staggering UGX 42.34 billion. A 2017 UBOS survey further estimates that UGX 166 billion is paid annually to public officials in bribes, highlighting the scale of corruption.
The study also found that 82% of job applicants identified bribery as the most common form of corruption, particularly during shortlisting and interview stages, with DSC members being the most likely to solicit bribes.
Bribes vary significantly by position and sector, ranging from UGX 40-50 million for senior roles like Heads of Department to UGX 3 million for lower-tier positions such as Nursing Assistants and Grade III Primary Teachers.
“Majority of the applicants paid bribes from their personal savings (42.3%), followed by loans from friends (17.3%), sale of assets (13.5%), loans from the bank (13.5%) and salary (7.7%). Regarding salary,” the report added.
According to the report, corruption in DSCs is fuelled by multiple factors, including high unemployment, political interference, inadequate funding, and weak oversight. Irregularities such as forged minutes, fake academic documents, and unadvertised job postings further erode trust.
The report also notes that 44% of DSCs are understaffed, hampering their operations, while nepotism, favouritism, and political patronage play a role, though bribery remains the dominant issue.
To address these challenges, the report recommends urgent reforms, including revising DSC appointment processes, raising qualifications for commission members, increasing funding, and enhancing remuneration to reduce financial incentives for corruption.
