On November 13, a notice contained in a circular issued by Rulindo District on November 13 made some local government workers suspect that their rights were at risk.
The announcement read:
“I write this letter to let you know that bringing foodstuff in offices is prohibited. Failure to respect this directive will be considered as indiscipline,” reads part of the statement signed by Rulindo District Executive Secretary, Godfrey Muhanguzi.
Different staff of the district who talked to IGIHE expressed grave disappointment over the decision by the district.
On conditions of anonymity, one said: “We start working at 7.00 a.m. and many of us live far from the office which requires us to wake up early and pack that doughnut for instance. There are also those who fail to get time to go to restaurants for lunch and so bring food in offices.”
On dirtying official files, he said it is impossible. They suggested that the district sets up a place for the staff to take their meals from.
Rulindo District Executive Secretary, Godfrey Muhanguzi later changed the statement and told IGIHE on Thursday that the circular was misinterpreted by those who viewed it and spread it while it was just meant to be kept in the district.
“It was even not necessary that we post it on the site, but interpreters misinterpreted it. Someone can interpret something in their own sense that is different from the intention of the writer. The aim of the circular was to improve hygiene, in general. We didn’t prohibit people from bringing foodstuffs at work but to do it in an orderly manner,” he said.
He added that the district has a hotel called IREMBO where the district staff may have meals. He said the hotel provides district staff with tea, water, or soda because those are paid for by the district for its staff,” he said.
As to whether the staffers are allowed to bring meals at the office, Muhanguzi said that office is not meant to be a place for having meals. He said that workers are allowed to bring meals, but take them in separate rooms because as local government where serving citizens is a priority, the latter should not come to the office and find the one who was supposed to offer them a given service eating. It looks unprofessional, he said.
“Let us assume that you are a citizen from Rulindo District who is coming to look for a service at the district office and find me eating in office. What interpretation can you get from there? Do I respect or disrespect you? But you can take 15 minutes and go to a certain room and do what you want to do and get back to work,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Local Government (MINALOC), Assoumpta Kampeta commenting on the notice told IGIHE that Minaloc does not approve of that decision.
“We do not agree with the statement as Minaloc because for a worker to deliver on their work, they need energy. The issue would rather be the fact that those who bring food and snacks do not take them properly designated places,” she said.
She adds that everyone has the right to pack something to eat at work. She urges workers to maintain hygiene of the places where they have meals from instead because food crumbs can be unhygienic.
“Someone would at least mention their hygiene, but prohibiting them from bringing food is not acceptable. We do not approve of that and neither does the district,” she said.
She said the district should change the prior message and give another one because there would be two messages: Maintaining hygiene or designate a room where people should take foods.
Surprisingly, the circular also said that any worker at the District or Sector caught with foodstuff at the office will be punished in accordance with Presidential Order No65/01 of 04/03/2014 determining modalities of imposing disciplinary sanctions for public servants.
Meanwhile, the circular said that an audit carried out on public servants’ management revealed that some stuff brings bread, chapatti, and doughnuts among other foodstuffs and eat them inside their offices causing untidy environments and soil official documents.
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