The Deputy Speaker of Parliament Thomas Tayebwa has cautioned Parliamentary staff and MPs against seeking his or the Speaker’s intervention in the ongoing staff verification exercise.
Tayebwa sounded the warning during Tuesday afternoon’s plenary sitting, revealing that he had been receiving calls from people concerned about the exercise.
He explained that employees with genuine appointment letters, academic qualifications and national identity cards have nothing to fear, and questioned why employees should seek the intervention of parliamentary leaders when asked to present documents to verify their employment status.
“The exercise for validation and verification of staff is going on. On Monday the Right Honourable Speaker met all staff and assured them that if their papers are okay, there’s no need to worry,” he said.
Tayebwa further questioned why staff whose documents were in order would be worried about the verification process or attempt to contact the Speaker for assistance.
“I am receiving calls right now, but if at verification they are asking for your appointment letter, they’re asking for your academic documents, your national ID, now why do you call a Speaker to help you? And why would you be worried?” he asked.
Tayebwa’s remarks come as Parliament undertakes an extensive validation and verification exercise aimed at examining staff employment records and confirming the authenticity of documents presented during recruitment and subsequent career progression.
The exercise requires employees to present key documents, including appointment letters, academic qualifications and national identity cards, to establish whether their records meet the required standards.
The Deputy Speaker urged MPs not to intervene on behalf of staff whose documents may be questionable, saying such intervention would be immaterial.
“And honourable colleagues, if you know that the person calling you, the papers are not okay, and which we don’t think may be there, I would advise they take a short cut,” Tayebwa told legislators.
Tayebwa also reiterated the assurance given by Speaker Jacob Marksons Oboth, during his meeting with parliamentary staff on Monday that employees whose documents are in order should not be apprehensive about the exercise.
The Speaker said the verification was similar to exercises conducted in other government institutions and was not intended to target any individual.
He further explained that the exercise was meant to ensure that staff members were assigned to the appropriate departments and held positions that matched their qualifications and experience.
