KCCA lays off over 700 contract workers

The Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) has sent home over 700 workers who have been serving on a four-month contract in a move aimed at paving way for the upcoming recruitment exercise by the Public Service Commission (PSC).

This was confirmed in a directive issued by the executive director, Ms Dorothy Kisaka through a letter dated March 1, 2021 which was sent out to all affected workers last Friday.

According to the letter, a copy of which the Daily Express managed to see, Ms Kisaka informed the affected staff that they had been appointed on local contract by KCCA for a non-renewable period of three months with effect from March 1, 2021 up to May 31, 2021.

Kisaka explained that all temporary staff would be remunerated as per their level in the current KCCA salary scale.

“…should you get appointed to your current position or any other position within KCCA or should your current position be filled by another person by May 31 2021, then this appointment will automatically be terminated,” Ms Kisaka wrote.

The letter adds: “You shall be expected to prepare a handover report not later than May 10 2021. Please note that the payment for salary for the month of May 2021 will on be paid upon confirmation of a satisfactory handover”.

KCCA’s head of public and corporate affairs, Mr Daniel Nuwabiine confirmed that all affected workers have been notified.

He said that management will submit all the vacancies to the various service commissions so that they can be advertised.

“We are doing the recruitment in a phased manner and for now, we shall advertise about 319 key vacancies and when we get resources we shall be able to advertise the remaining slots. However, all the affected workers are encouraged to reapply, “he said.

Some of the affected persons who preferred anonymity express their dissatisfaction to the Daily Express saying that they should have been regularised since they have served the institution for a long time.

“We thought management would regularise us but it’s not the case because we have to apply and compete with others. Therefore, we can’t be sure that we shall retain our jobs,” said one of the workers.

PSC chairperson, Justice Ralph Ochan told this publication that the commission will advertise the jobs as soon as KCCA writes to them.

“The commission only advertises jobs after the agency submits to it a list of vacancies to be filled. For now, we haven’t yet received any communication from KCCA but when we do, we shall advertise them immediately,’ he said.

In 2013, at least 280 candidates passed jobs to fill vacancies At KCCA. However, the then executive director Ms Jennifer Musisi rejected them on grounds that the institution was facing budget deficit.

The rejected candidates later sued KCCA and court ordered that they be compensated and redeployed.