A whistleblower recently claimed malpractices in the education ministry. There was a report which listed 30 names of employees in the ministry who it says are related to the permanent secretary (PS), Francis Lubanga.

His son, daughter and sister are said to be in charge of multi-billion projects, some of which have reportedly been mismanaged.

The assistant commissioner of personnel is a brother-in-law of Lubanga, according to the report, and the assistant commissioner primary education is his sister.

In addition, six of the ministry’s drivers and the transport officer are related to the PS, a situation which has led to inflated garage bills, the whistleblower claims.

Lubanga has since acknowledged the presence of these people in his ministry but claims they are qualified to hold the positions.

That might be the case. But the question is: 30 of them? And was nobody else found qualified to fill the position of a driver?

Even more curious, the head of Public Service, John Mitaala, was quick to absolve the PS.

Without having been asked an opinion, he rubbished the allegations in a letter to the minister and called for an investigation into… the whistleblower!

By the very nature of his job, Mitaala should at least have shown concern about what seems to amount to nepotism and the risks it provides for the ministry.

The Inspector General of Government should investigate the allegations. The whistleblower should be protected, as provided for by the law. Whatever his motive, he might have a point.

Everybody involved should realise that this is not about an individual. At stake is one of the most important and struggling institutions in the country: education.

At stake is also the noble policy of providing quality universal primary and secondary education to all Ugandan youth.

In light of the high drop-out rates, the alarming levels of absenteeism among teachers and the decreasing quality of education, allegations like these should be taken serious.

Global Report on Corruption: Uganda