Luuka: The Luuka District Service Commission Chairman, Mr. Paul Isabirye, is on the run following reports that he extorted Shs 17 million from Ms. Sylvia Baisemubaka, a clinical officer, who had applied for a job promotion.
Last Friday, the police in Luuka District arrested Mr. George Mudhuli, the headteacher of Tabingwa Primary School in Busalamu Town Council, over the same fraudulent deal.
In a letter dated January 6, 2025, the Luuka District Chairperson, Mr. Simon Wakaze, demanded an urgent defense from the commission’s chief, Mr. Isabirye, who is currently at large.
“These are serious allegations and bring into question your integrity, character, and reputation as the Luuka District Service Commission Chairman. As the tenets and principles of natural justice require, you are required to defend yourself against these allegations within seven days, no later than January 13, 2025,” reads part of Mr. Wakaze’s letter to the commission chair, who he alleges appeared before the Criminal Investigations Department at Kiyunga CPS to answer the charges.
Earlier in October 2024, the Luuka District Local Government, in the Department of Health, advertised a vacancy for a Senior Medical Clinical Officer, attracting several applicants, including Ms. Sylvia Baisemubaka, a clinical officer at Ikonia Health Center III.
Claiming to be a relative (nephew) of Mr. Paul Isabirye, the District Service Commission chair, Mr. Mudhuli reportedly lured Ms. Baisemubaka, telling her he could influence the commission chair to expedite the process and secure the job for her.
“We discussed, and Mr. Mudhuli requested Shs 2 million to take to his uncle to show that we were serious about the matter. He later called and informed me that the chairman (Service Commission) had agreed, but he wanted Shs 15 million,” Ms. Baisemubaka stated in a petition to the Speaker of the Luuka District Council.
Ms. Baisemubaka said she collaborated with her mother, Ms. Edith Nsaiga, to raise the Shs 15 million, making a total of Shs 17 million as requested by the embattled Mr. Mudhuli, who is currently detained at Kiyunga Central Police Station (CPS).
“He later took me to Mr. Paul Isabirye, the District Service Commission chair, at his home in Buwala Village, Irongo Subcounty, Luuka District, and he accepted. He assured me of the position,” she added.
In her complaint, Ms. Baisemubaka revealed that on Friday, October 4, 2024, Shs 2 million was given to Mr. Mudhuli at Paradise Hotel in Kiyunga Town Council. The victim, her mother, and the suspect’s wife (only identified as Damali) witnessed the process when Mr. Mudhuli received the brown envelope.
She further claimed that on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, her parents, Mr. Peter Baisemubaka and Ms. Edith Nsaiga, took Shs 13 million to Mr. Mudhuli’s home in Kiyunga Central Zone, Kiyunga Town Council in Luuka District, where he received the money in the presence of his wife.
“On Thursday, October 24, 2024, in the morning, one million shillings was picked by Mr. Mudhuli George, and later in the day, he called for an additional one million shillings in the evening. My mother took it, making a total of two million shillings on the same day,” her complaint read in part.
Promotional interviews for the same vacancy, which had originally been scheduled for October 23, 2024, were later postponed to October 25, 2024. It was then that Ms. Baisemubaka learned that the position she had already paid for had been given to another candidate, who allegedly received an appointment letter.
Shocked and frustrated, the denied applicant then began demanding her Shs 17 million, but the “clever” individuals reportedly refused to return the money, according to her complaint.
“Since then, they have been promising to return the money, until I approached the District Service Commission Chairperson, who told me to give him three weeks to clear the matter. But all was in vain,” Ms. Baisemubaka lamented.
She added, “Due to the sensitivity of the matter, I was intimidated and feared to report it to any office or official.”
However, she gained confidence and reported the distressing matter to the office of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC).
Fearing legal action, Mr. Mudhuli, who acknowledged receipt of the Shs 17 million in total, committed himself to repay the money within seven days.
“I, Mudhuli George, commit that I received Shs 17 million from Baisemubaka Sylvia to meet the chairman of the District Service Commission for a job, and I did not give it to the chairman. I used it myself,” Mr. Mudhuli said in a commitment letter dated December 23, 2024.
In the presence of the District Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), RDC Mr. Ronald Katende, and Assistant RDC Mr. Umar Ntogona, Mr. Mudhuli stated, “I haven’t got the money, so, therefore, I promise to pay it back within seven days from now.”
Notably, Mr. Mudhuli was arrested on Friday, January 3, 2025, when he failed to meet his obligation. RDC Mr. Ronald Katende confirmed his apprehension, saying that his office has taken significant steps to ensure justice for the victim.
“We have a number of corruption cases here in Luuka District, and it is so rampant in the Service Commission. We engaged Mr. Mudhuli to write a commitment letter as concrete evidence,” Mr. Katende told Busoga Today.
He said investigations into this matter are underway and the suspect will soon be arraigned in court.
This comes after the president directed that no suspect should be granted a police bond or court bail while charged with robbery, extortion, corruption, and murder-related offenses. This directive is reportedly being implemented by respective authorities, especially the police force.
Last year, the Luuka District Service Commission was suspended following rampant complaints of extortion and corruption, but the district council resolved that it should resume operations after addressing urgent needs for recruiting professionals in various departments.
Service commissions of several district local governments are known for extortion and corruption, with government job opportunities being sold for between Shs 5 million and Shs 20 million.
