AIDS Commission in disarray as minister cancels job interviews with nepotism claims flying high
KAMPALA: Uganda could witness another scandal where top officials hand public jobs to relatives as thousands of Ugandans who applied for jobs at the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC) this year being left in tears following a suspicious cancellation of scheduled interviews.
A letter by the Minister for the Presidency, Babirye Milly Babalanda, to the commission halted the exercise with concerns over the commission’s restructuring process and the delay in implementing recommendations from the Uganda AIDS Commission’s review report.
The March 25 letter addressed to Dr. Nelson Musoba, the Director General of UAC, Babalanda said she was disappointed with the slow progress in executing the recommendations outlined in the review report.
She highlighted the necessity of a comprehensive restructuring of the UAC before proceeding with recruitment.
The minister contended that rushing the hiring process without restructuring would lead to inefficiencies and disrupt the commission’s operations, particularly with a shortage of staff at zonal offices and an overconcentration of personnel at headquarters.
The minister’s letter instructed UAC to immediately halt all recruitment activities until the restructuring process was completed.
She further demanded that UAC submit a detailed action plan within two weeks, outlining the steps necessary to finalize the restructuring before recruitment could resume.
In the letter, the minister stressed the urgency of addressing the ongoing pandemic, emphasizing the commission’s responsibility to accelerate efforts in tackling high HIV prevalence and AIDS-related deaths.
Accordingly, Dr. Musoba reportedly consulted with the UAC Board Chairperson and instructed the Director of Human Resources (DHR) to prepare a formal letter to the Secretary of the Public Service Commission, halting the interview process.
Consequently, on March 27, 2025, UAC issued a public notice announcing the cancellation of oral interviews for several positions, including Zonal Coordinator, Documentation Officer/Librarian, ICT Officer, Public Relations Officer, Communication Officer, Communication Assistant, and Procurement Assistant.
These interviews had been scheduled to take place from March 31 to April 3, 2025. The commission apologized for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation.
The decision to cancel the interviews has stirred controversy and raised suspicions. One candidate, who was scheduled for an interview at the Uganda Management Institute, described the chaotic scene.
“I was in the first morning group, and after about 30 minutes of waiting, we were told to stop. Then another officer told us to continue, but when we stepped outside, other groups were also informed their interviews were canceled,” the candidate recounted.
As the situation unfolded, some sources inside the commission suggested that the cancellation may be linked to allegations of nepotism.
Other reports indicate that high-ranking officials could have brought in their relatives and friends to take up the positions, bypassing the proper recruitment channels. This could be the reason for cancelling the formal process.
The speculation led to accusations that the recruitment process was deliberately halted to allow favored candidates to be placed in the roles.
A group of applicants is now calling for a thorough investigation into the matter, urging Prime Minister Robinah Nabbanja and the Inspector General of Government (IGG) to examine the potential misuse of office.
The Prime Minister recently warned public servants against using their positions for personal gain, and these latest developments have only added fuel to the growing concerns.
A report released by the IGG recently indicated that most public service jobs scaling to more than 80% were handed out illegally.
Calls to Dr Musobo’s known phone number went unanswered.
