By Otim Nape
In just hours from now, PSST Keith Muhakanizi will be entering the Public Service Commission (PSC) board room to participate in a meeting that will shortlist the 29 Ugandans who have applied for the post of Executive Director PPDA. We are reliably informed that the 29 applicants whose fate is to be decided this morning include Benson Turamye who has been serving as the Acting ED. Many stakeholders are understood to favor Mr. Turamye because of his assumed institutional memory having worked at PPDA for such a long time. “The shortlisting process is meant to eliminate those who don’t have minimum qualifications and tend to think they can make it by miracle and the remaining few will proceed to two sets of interviews before the most suitable person is identified,” said a reliable source adding that being the one whose Finance Ministry directly supervises PPDA, Keith Muhakanizi will personally play a very big role in the entire recruitment process. After today’s shortlisting, the successfully shortlisted candidates will be notified and then proceed to the next level of written interviews whereafter some will be dropped and the remaining finalists will subsequently be subjected to the oral interview from which the best man/woman will carry the day. Apparently there is determination between the PPDA governing board, the PSC and the Finance Ministry to ensure the PPDA has a substantive ED by end of May this year. This means within a maximum of one month the new CEO should be in office executing his duties. Of great importance are the procurements relating to the oil-related infrastructure which the President wants fast tracked and for that to happen it’s important that stability returns to the Nakasero road-based PPDA. There is also need to fast track the amendments to the PPDA Act and that process too needs to be spearheaded by an ED that substantively in office. Previously, as we exclusively reported, there was a problem whereby the PPDA Board was perceived as sidelining the PSC despite the President directive that this all important Commission must always be involved in high level technical staff recruitment for the MDAs. For comments, call/text/whatsapp us on 0703164755!
