By Peter Ssebulime
Patrick Besigye Keihwa, the Kabale District LC5 Chairman has launched an operation aimed at cracking down on idleness and late-coming of the district workers.
The operation mainly targets workers at the District court and Director of Public Prosecution Offices.
On Wednesday, Keihwa camped at the main entrance to the District Headquarters on Makanga hill and sent away all workers who arrived after 8:00am.
Some officers were seen giving excuses on why they were late, but the already annoyed and disappointed District Chairman couldn’t listen to their ‘nonsensical explanations’ and sent them all away.
Keihwa said he had observed that most staff members come to office late, which interrupted government business and hampered public service for which they are paid.
His decision, he said was in line with the civil servants’ standing orders, which stipulates that officers should report for work every working day at exactly 8:00a.m and leave for lunch at 12:45 pm and in the afternoon return in office at exactly 2:00pm up to 5:00 pm.
He added that officers at the Director of Public prosecutions office, the regional prison commander’s office are usually still closed at 9: am in the morning, and people usually line up for the service outside while waiting for the officers to arrive.
According to the Chairman, only 58 out of the 150 officers at the District offices were in office by 8am. He noted that the political wing of the District leadership needed to intervene to stop this.
In July and August last year, the former Kabale Chief Administrative Officer (now Busitema University Secretary) Albert Matsiko Mutungwire conducted a similar operation and turned away over fifty workers.