Joshua Nahamya
28 October 2025
Rwampara – A heated confrontation erupted in the Rwampara District Council over the immediate approval of a new member for the District Service Commission (DSC), a body crucial for staff recruitment. Councilors locked horns with the District Executive and technical staff, demanding that the process be halted due to concerns over the nominee’s political affiliations, amidst warnings that a further delay would cost the district millions in unspent wage bill funds.
The row centered on filling a vacancy left by Venance Rurema, a former DSC member who resigned to join elective politics. The District Executive proposed John Byarugaba for approval to ensure the commission was fully constituted and recruitment could resume.
Willy Bataringaya guiding Rwampara district council on the delayed service commission approval.
The partisan concern
The conflict was sparked by Ustus Aryampereza, Councillor for Bugamba Sub-county, who raised red flags over Byarugaba’s background. Aryampereza argued that the position demands a competent, experienced, and strictly non-partisan individual.
“I can see this is a gentleman who was serving in UPDF at the rank of lieutenant and he is a committee member on the veteran’s league at the district level [NRM],” Aryampereza stated. He pressed for verification, citing the law that requires DSC members to be of high integrity and non-partisan.
“The law is very clear that this commission must be occupied by people who are non-partisan,” he insisted, appealing to the council to suspend the approval to prevent future legal challenges, noting that the council had previously faced court action over similar appointments.
Aryampereza pushed to have the approval halted for further verification, citing past legal troubles. “Basing on the previous experience, we had names recommended by the [District Executive Committee] only to verify some were head teachers… which is against the law,” he said. He reminded the council that the district had previously been taken to court over a similar appointment issue.
Supporting the verification call, fellow councilor Herbert noted the lack of concrete evidence of Byarugaba’s current NRM involvement, but still backed the suspension. “If the evidence is not here then why should you bring it as a concern?” he asked the objectors, but ultimately sided with caution: “If the person comes with the evidence then, maybe we can take another action.”
CAO and MP warn of consequences
The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Willy Bataringaya, and the Rwampara County Member of Parliament, Amos Kankunda, both cautioned the council against delaying the approval. They stressed the severe financial and operational impact of leaving the DSC incomplete.
CAO Bataringaya highlighted that delays in recruitment lead to the District returning unutilized wage money to the central treasury, a costly penalty that affects service delivery. “If this matter is pushed to the next council sitting, which is likely to be in December… up to December we have not advertised positions because we cannot even advertise without a substantive fully-fledged service commission,” he explained, urging a sense of urgency.
MP Kankunda concurred, stating that the ultimate goal is to deliver services to the people. He worried that delaying the process would cause the district to lose funds already earmarked for staff recruitment.
“My brother Ustus, the opportunity is this one,” Kankunda pleaded. “We can in that approval say subject to confirmation that this person is appointed on the political organisation.”
The legal verdict and resolution
The debate was settled by Swizin Kinga Mujema, Commissioner for Local Councils Development, who quoted Section 61 (2) of the Local Governments Act (Cap 138). The law clearly states that a member of a local government council or an executive body of a political party or political organisation shall not be appointed a member of the service commission.
Council Speaker King Jotham Mwesigwa noted the compromise: “We want someone who is non-partisan… but to save the situation, let’s include that person and we approve the commission, but the chairperson and the executive take note to verify him.”
LC V Chairperson Richard Owomugasho acknowledged the legal requirement, stating, “We can kindly ask him if he wants to continue with NRM then that means he has to be released from the service commission.”
Following the clear legal guidance and the CAO’s warning about returning unutilized funds, the councilors reached a compromise.
Resolution: The council unanimously approved the five-member District Service Commission, but with the critical amendment that the appointment of the contentious member, John Byarugaba, would be subject to providing proof of his resignation from all political party executive roles before being sworn in.
Councillor Aryampereza, who moved the motion for approval, stressed the urgency of filling the vacancy to avoid the “wastage of our wage” but appealed to the executive to avoid working on such tight deadlines in the future.
Rwampara, which officially became a district in July 2019 after being carved from Mbarara, is a relatively new district best known for banana and coffee production.
