KAMPALA – A damning new report has uncovered a deep-rooted bribery syndicate within Uganda’s public sector recruitment, revealing that job seekers paid nearly Shs 29 billion in bribes to secure positions between 2018 and 2022.
The findings, extrapolated from a detailed sample across 20 districts, indicate that while officials brazenly asked for as much as Shs 78 billion in illicit payments, the actual amount that changed hands still amounts to a staggering average of Shs 5.8 billion per year. This translates to roughly Shs 290 million in bribes paid annually in each of the sampled districts.
When scaled to a national level, the figure becomes even more alarming, suggesting that approximately Shs 42.3 billion is paid in bribes for government jobs every year across Uganda.
The report details a clear and corrupt price tag for public service positions, with the cost of a job directly correlating to its level and prestige.
· Senior Roles: Aspirants for top-tier positions like Heads of Department were required to pay between Shs 40 to 50 million.
· Entry-Level Roles: At the bottom of the ladder, jobs such as nursing assistants or Grade III primary school teachers came with a price tag of around Shs 3 million.
The study also found that the prevalence of bribery varied significantly by sector.
· The education sector recorded the highest total value of bribe requests, with officials asking for a colossal Shs 36.9 billion over the four-year period.
· However, the health sector emerged as the arena where the highest actual payments were made, with Shs 12.9 billion in bribes collected, earning it the grim distinction of the most “cash-soaked” corner of local government recruitment.
These findings paint a picture of a systemic and institutionalized corruption problem that places a heavy financial burden on job seekers and undermines the merit-based allocation of public sector roles. The data suggests that securing a government job is often less about qualifications and experience and more about one’s ability to pay a corrupt fee, raising serious concerns about the quality of public service delivery and governance.
