Ugandan Public Servants have been told that their September salaries will be delayed due to “shortfalls” at the Ministry of Finance.
It has led some Government employees to question whether an agreed pay rise for next year will ever materialise.
The Ministry said it had disbursed funds to the various districts in August to meet the wage bill for the first quarter of the financial year.
However, it has now been revealed that the funds were simply not enough to pay all Government workers.
This follows Government employees’ salaries for July being delayed to allow for the Ministry of Public Service to issue a new salary structure for the 2022-23 fiscal year.
This was meant to take into consideration “an enhanced pay plan” which most officers believed would result in a pay rise.
However, it has now emerged that despite the Government’s request for time to allow the new salary structure to come into force, thousands of workers on its payroll had not been paid since June.
Spokesperson for the Ministry, Jim Mugunga declined to answer questions on the pay shortfall, simply saying that “fully documented employees who service Government, teachers included, are entitled to salaries, wages and related entitlements”.
“What I can confirm is that the Ministry of Finance makes sure committed wages have a first charge on available resources with no exception,” Mr Mugunga said.
The row has reached Parliament with Leader of the Opposition, Mathias Mpuuga warning that the ramifications of the non-payments were having an adverse effect on the delivery of Government services.
However, this was dismissed by Minister for Finance, Ramathan Ggoobi (pictured) as “disinformation intended to alarm citizens…turning the economy into a launch-pad for cheap politicking”.
Kampala, 20 September 2022
