Steer clear of graft during public service recruitment, officials told

The Public Service Commission (PSC) has urged recruiters in public service to shun corruption during recruitment process. The call was made, yesterday, at a news conference to highlight the commission’s achievements during the Financial Year 2014/15. A survey conducted by the commission that sampled 444 public servants and 236 job seekers about their perceptions on corruption in recruitment services shows that corruption was confirmed at two and 13 per cent, respectively. Angelina Muganza speaks during the press conference. François Habiyakare, the president of the commission, said some measures have been taken to ward off corruption in the process. “We found that some institutions do not provide the commission with the recruitment report. For instance, the 21 district hospitals inspected did not have their reports and the service charter as provided for by the law governing recruitment in public service. These malpractices are undoubtedly fueled by corruption in the recruitment process,” he revealed. “An online recruitment platform is being developed to avoid physical contact between the applicant and the recruiter. We hope that this electronic recruitment (e-Recruitment) will reduce chances for corruption. We also proposed the establishment of a particular institution mandated with public service recruitment to ensure professionalism and impartiality in the recruitment process.” Different media houses attended the press conference yesterday. Angelina Muganza, the executive secretary of PSC, said the commission, in conjuction with the Office of the Ombudsman and the Ministry of Public Service and Labour, will carry out campaigns in universities to raise awareness on laws and regulations governing recruitment into the public sector to counter unlawful practices in the market. Among the causes of corruption in the recruitment process, the survey cites unemployment (10.44 per cent), greed (7.94 per cent), poor salary (7.79 per cent), desire for self enriching (7.56 per cent), poverty (7.21 per cent), high competitiveness in the labour market (6.32 per cent), ignorance (6.3 per cent), lack of professional ethics (4.85 per cent), egocentricity (4.85 per cent) and lack of self respect (4.71 per cent).

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Steer clear of graft during public service recruitment, officials told