The 21-page “notice of resignation” letter of the first Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) Executive Director (ED) Jennifer Semakula Musisi, dated 15th October 2018, is an interesting read.
Save for the first paragraph, after salutations, the rest of the content in her notice of resignation is inappropriate to be included in such a communique.
A notice of resignation from a job need only include the intention to resign and a time-frame in which the resignation is intended to take effect.
Giving timely notices of resignation is required best practice. Particularly, of persons holding key positions. This is so that there is sufficient time for the exiting one to account.
And for audits – forensic and otherwise – to be conducted for the different aspects for which the exiting one is responsible. Moreover, exit audits that are conducted by external, legitimate and competent authorities.
In cases of a ‘normal resignation’ as opposed to a ‘forced resignation’, when one chooses to resign, one must take into account one’s ability to do accountability within a particular time-frame.
As well as take into account the ability of the appointing authority to have the accountability verified and audited within the time-frame.
That is to say, when one gives notice of resignation, one has to ensure that the time-frame is sufficient for accountability and for rigorous verification of to be done before one’s term of office expires.
In which case, therefore, an important element of the content of a professional notice of resignation, it is expected, should include propositions of:
- How one intends to ensure that one will transparently do accountability.
- How one’s accountability may be transparently and independently verified by the appointing authority.
A major purpose for giving timely notice of resignation is so that the appointing authority begins the process of recruitment for a replacement.
Ideally, within best practice, it is preferred that the replacement should take office while the term of office of the exiting one is current.
This is in order to facilitate a smooth and an effective handover that ensures a glitches-free transition or at worst a transition with minimum glitches.
Important content of a professional notice of resignation, especially of one holding a significant position of leadership in a significant public institution, is a proposition for a recruitment plan for the successor.
At the very least, the proposition in the notice of resignation should suggest a time-frame for recruitment – giving specific indications for when:
- Recruitment adverts should go out.
- Interviews should be done.
- Successor should be in place to receive the handover.
This vital content is missing from Musisi’s 21-page notice of resignation.
But, instead, Musisi has provided a catalogue of what she claims her achievements as the first KCAA ED.
A closer discourse analysis of what she has included in her letter, as highlights of her achievements, moreover, indicates she does not sufficiently understand the difference between output indicators and impact indicators.
From page 2 to 18, Musisi’s notice of resignation contains a catalogue of outputs that have been achieved by KCAA during her term of office.
And it is on the basis of those outputs she deduces progress towards transforming Kampala.
This is not to say that Musisi does not need to report on the outputs that have been generated while she has been KCAA ED.
A notice of resignation is the wrong medium to report on outputs and moreover, for the purpose of using them to deduce impact.
Reporting of outputs should be accompanied with analyses from whence impact (intended or intended) can be deduced. Among others:
- Value-for-money
- Budget compliance
- Viability
- Achievement of planned results
- Achievement of planned overall goals for each project or work-package
“The Ad hominem Fallacy is when one attacks a person’s character, motives, or personal traits, instead of dealing with the actual logic or evidence of their argument”
Resigning Musisi deliberately and strenuously credits politicians for her failure to forge efficient working relationships with the political wing of KCCA.
Suffice it to write, once again, this kind of content is inappropriate for a notice of resignation letter.
In her notice of resignation, ED Musisi includes content that is normally expected to be included in a comprehensive handover report.
And a report which should be subjected to verification, auditing, and approval by the relevant authorities, before it may be shared publicly, if at all. Normally, in a summarized form, which preserves the image of the capital city.
It is valid to ask: was is a matter of incompetence or a strategy for political self-preservation?
The Lord Mayor of Kampala Capital City, and a seasoned politician, Hon. Erias Lukwago, reacting to KCAA ED Musisi’s resignation.
That KCAA ED Musisi does not know the basics of how to handle a resignation process raises questions.
One holding a significant position in a significant public institution not knowing resignation procedure is a major indicator that she is incompetent to hold the office of KCCA ED.
A school of thought, in fact, has emerged which suggests that her notice of resignation letter seems a strategy consistent with one holding ill-intention to arm-twist the appointing authority.
Specifically, for the appointing authority to reject her resignation and to get involved in the harmful practice of ‘playing favorites’.
The practice of ‘playing favorites’ causes inflated egos and inevitably renders the beneficiaries of such unprofessional practices to fail in executing their duties.
The job of KCCA ED requires one with skills and expertise to work with both the technical teams and the politicians, in order to deliver results for the greater good and for benefit of the electorate.
The person who holds the position of KCAA ED must be one with impeccable character and that is comfortable in her competence not to engage in finger point and maligning of others for her failure to do her job.
Moreover, at the beginning of her tenure, the political wing of KCCA was dominated by councilors belonging to the ruling party, her party the National Resistance Movement.
Appointing Authority, Mr. President, accept the resignation of ED Musisi. Through her 21-page notice of resignation letter she has demonstrated she is incompetent for the job. 
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