Local govts switch to online recruitment
The Public Service Commission indicated that the rollout kicks off with a pilot in 20 districts and cities before the 2026/2027 financial year ends next week.
Public service commission principal human resource Ruth Asiimwe speaking during a training of the trainers on online recruitment and appeals management information systems held at the Nakawa ICT hub on June 25. (Photos by Alfred Ochwo)
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The Public Service Commission has today (June 25, 2026), announced the rollout of Online Recruitment and Appeals Management Information System (ORAMIS) for districts to end paperwork and embrace online recruitment.
The Public Service Commission indicated that the rollout kicks off with a pilot in 20 districts and cities before the 2026/2027 financial year ends next week.
This was during a training of trainers programme for national trainers at the Uganda ICT Institute Hub in Nakawa, Kampala.
The trainees included officials from the Public Service Commission, Health Service Commission, Education Service Commission and the Ministry of Local Government, who will subsequently train district and city officials on the use of the new system.
Speaking during the training, Ruth Asiimwe, a Principal Human Resource Officer at the Public Service Commission and one of the programme coordinators, said the system was developed after years of oversight, monitoring and stakeholder engagements revealed significant challenges associated with manual recruitment and appeals management.
"ORAMIS was developed to address the growing workload in district service commissions where recruitment processes are still largely paper-based. The volume of applications received for public service jobs has become difficult to manage manually," Asiimwe said.
According to Asiimwe, the Public Service Commission sought government funding for the project through the Ministry of Finance after establishing the urgent need for an electronic solution.
Public service commission principal human resource Ruth Asiimwe speaking to journalists.
"The funding was approved and implementation commenced during the current financial year. We are now at the stage of transferring knowledge from the system developer to trainers who will support the rollout in districts and cities," she said.
She added that the rollout will be implemented over a four-year period, with all 146 districts and cities expected to be covered by 2030.
The pilot areas include the districts of Buhweju, Kisoro, Kabarole, Sembabule, Mpigi, Buyende, Buikwe, Bulambuli, Soroti, Napak, Amuru, Yumbe, Koboko and Kalangala, as well as the cities of Hoima, Gulu, Mbale, Masaka and Arua.
Asiimwe said the selection criteria included having fully constituted District or City Service Commissions with substantive secretaries and at least three members who are computer literate.
At the national level, recruitment has already been conducted electronically since 2018. Asiimwe recalled that before the introduction of e-recruitment, the Public Service Commission struggled to manage large numbers of applicants physically delivering applications.
"Before 2018, recruitment at the centre was also manual. During recruitment exercises, the Commission would receive overwhelming numbers of applicants physically submitting applications. The electronic recruitment system transformed recruitment at the national level and ORAMIS is now extending those benefits to local governments," Asiimwe noted.
"The rollout is specifically meant to cut down on human contact between recruitment staff and applicants because all applications will be submitted online. Applicants will no longer need to travel to district headquarters to deliver applications. They will create online profiles, complete applications electronically, and submit them through the system,” Otulu said.
The equipment is expected to include computers, printers and other ICT (Information and Computer Technology) tools required to support electronic recruitment and appeals management.
Otulu acknowledged that internet access remains a challenge in some parts of the country, but said the Commission is working with stakeholders to address the gaps.
"The pilot phase focuses on districts that already have reliable internet connectivity. For districts facing connectivity challenges, we are working with stakeholders to improve access before the rollout reaches them," he said.
He added that the upgraded system will not only facilitate recruitment but will also generate real-time statistics on appointments, confirmations, interdiction and other human resource actions.
"The system will improve information sharing, reporting by district and city service commissions and the approval process for members of district and city service commissions," Otulu noted.
Speaking on behalf of participants, Amon Katabazi, the Senior Human Resource Officer and Board Secretary of the Public Service Commission, said the system will significantly improve appeals management.
"Currently, people who are dissatisfied with decisions of district service commissions submit hard copy appeals, which take time to reach the Commission and require physical follow-up. ORAMIS will enable appeals to be submitted, processed and responded to online," Katabazi said.
He added: "This will make the appeals process more timely, efficient and effective. We have learned that the system is straightforward to use. Because this is a training of trainers programme, we are taking time to understand every component thoroughly so that we can effectively train others when the rollout begins."