The Inspector General of Government (IGG), Justice Aisha Naluzze Batala, has exposed widespread recruitment irregularities at Uganda’s Parliament, revealing that 182 employees were hired without publicly advertising their positions between October 2021 and June 2026.
In a human resource audit report submitted to President Yoweri Museveni, dated October 11, 2026, Batala also revealed that some employees lacked the minimum academic qualifications for their jobs, while recently recruited staff were promoted ahead of longer-serving colleagues.
The investigation followed numerous complaints about recruitment practices at Parliament.
According to the IGG, the Parliamentary Commission resolved during its September 16, 2021 meeting to recruit employees through headhunting or lists of former interns, contrary to its human resource policy.
Consequently, 182 employees were recruited without their vacancies being advertised.
“The failure to advertise vacancies between October 2021 and June 2026 disenfranchised eligible Ugandans from employment opportunities with the Parliament Commission and likewise denied Parliament access to the best skill set which is better obtained through a competitive recruitment process,” Batala said.
The audit further established that Parliament lacked clear promotion guidelines, allowing newly recruited employees to advance ahead of longer-serving staff.
Investigators also found that some employees did not possess the minimum academic qualifications required for their positions, although the report did not specify their number.
Four Director Positions Questioned
In another significant finding, the IGG recommended reviewing four director positions under the Office of the Clerk to Parliament, describing them as redundant and lacking clearly defined duties.
“It was however, noted that the Directors were redundant without clear schedule of duties,” the report states.
Batala recommended reviewing the positions with a view to abolishing them and redirecting their salaries and benefits towards more critical parliamentary functions.
The audit also established that Parliament had 773 employees against an approved establishment of 893, leaving 120 positions vacant.
However, staffing levels varied considerably across departments.
The Office of the Clerk had 26 employees against 25 approved positions, while the Office of the Deputy Speaker had 10 against eight.
The Office of the Leader of Government Business also exceeded its establishment, with 25 employees against 24 approved positions.
Meanwhile, the Commission Secretariat had only 10 employees against 27 approved positions, while Administration and Transport Logistics had 161 against 178.
The Sergeant-at-Arms department had 103 employees against 125 approved positions.
Conflict of Interest
The IGG further raised concerns about Parliament’s financial management structure, noting that finance, procurement and inventory management all fall under the Director of Finance.
“This creates a potential conflict of interest since the three functions are all answerable to the Director Finance,” the report states.
Investigators also found that existing job descriptions and staff specifications were outdated and inconsistent with current public service standards.
Following the findings, Batala directed the Parliamentary Commission to introduce competitive recruitment, verify employees’ academic qualifications, establish clear promotion guidelines and review the four director positions.
She also recommended restructuring Parliament’s staffing establishment to prioritise its core functions of legislation, representation, oversight and appropriation.
The Parliamentary Commission, which oversees Parliament’s administration and staffing, comprises the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Leader of Government Business, Leader of the Opposition, the minister responsible for finance and four MPs.
The findings raise fresh questions about recruitment transparency, staff qualifications and accountability within Parliament, particularly as the institution oversees public expenditure and demands accountability from other government agencies.
