Uganda – Civil Service Payment issues again(!!)

Well, I am back at it again. Since this civil service payments isn’t going after schedule or planning. Therefore innocent and humble, working hard people isn’t getting their decent salaries on time. Which is by all standards is a shame; we have heard all kind of excuses by the leaders and gents of the Government. The Government which is entailed to pay its employees for it services. And after the saga of the magnificent payments structure in the Statehouse and the people around the President Museveni, we should have seen another picture. But it just seems to show how much it matters and why they can make it so slow for decent folks. Here is the latest on the issue:

Promise Civil Service pay by the end of September:

Muhakanizi comments on recent delayed civil service salaries: “releasing funds and budgeting well”, also have issues with “planning” and their inefficiency with following “procurement guidelines”. Muhakanizi continues: “Was finance releasing funds and budgeting well? The answer is no. And why was the release of funds poor?” (…)”We [finance] were releasing funds every month, but no one can budget basing on one month, it’s unacceptable and it was wrong”. He promised that the pay will now be cleared by “end of September”. Muhakanizi follows it up: “Teachers must teach people must get their titles from the [ministry of] Lands, the Judiciary must deliver justice in a timely manner” (…)”Those people who always ask for supplementary [funds] know themselves, but I refused to cut development expenditures for consumption purposes and if anyone does it, it must be rejected “(Walusimbi, 2014).

By the same statement to New Vision Muhanizi said: “If salary arrears are not paid by September, then call me a liar” (Mulundo, 2014)

Joseph Ssewungu the Kalungu West MP says to all this: “ want to tell Keith [Muhakanizi] that you will not pay teachers by September because you promised before, to send payment vouchers to all districts on top of clearing all the salary arrears by June, but up to now, nothing has been done. But you can promise for the sake of making us happy” (Walusimbi, 2014).

Important Pay scales for civil service employees like teachers:

Senior School Principal: 1,687,000Ush.

Education Assistant Grade III: 230,000Ush.

By now this has just gotten 25% increase.

At Makerere University:

Lecture: 1,600,00Ush.

Professors: 700,000Ush per month.

(Ssemogerere, 2014)

Henry Banyenzaki Rubanda West MP is worried because when in Kabale District where 8000 pupils went up for PLE (Primary Level Examination) last year alone, and then only 412 passed this level (Editorial Monitor, 2014).

Uganda National Teachers Union (UNTU) has denounced Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA). This happens because the default failing on the salaries up to 30%. Schools on the secondary level are also feeling like a side project (KFM, 2014).

Uganda – Outtakes from Budget Speech 2014/2015 – Teachers’ salaries:  

“Priorities to be implemented include the enhancement of Teachers’ salaries, with emphasis on Primary School Teachers. Shs 215bn has been allocated for this purpose. I have also provided Shs. 5 billion towards supporting Teachers’ SACCOs, in addition to the Shs. 2.5 billion provided during this year”.

That’s all I got on the matter today!

Peace

Links:

Editorial Monitor.co.ug – ‘Govt should fulfill teachers’ manifesto’ (25.07.2014) Link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Editorial/Govt-should-fulfill-teachers–manifesto/-/689360/2396382/-/6lba5u/-/index.html

Mulondo, Moses – ‘The Secretary to the treasury Keith Muhakanizi has promised that all salary arrears for civil servants will be paid by September’ (24.07.2014) Link: http://ehabari.com/uganda-to-pay-all-salary-arrears-by-september/

KFM – ‘Science teachers attack KCCA over pay’ (23.07.2014) Link: http://kfm.co.ug/news/science-teachers-attack-kcca-over-pay.html

Ssemogerere, Karoli – ‘There has to be a way of sorting out teachers pay issue’ (24.07.2014) Link: http://www.monitor.co.ug/OpEd/Commentary/There-has-to-be-a-way-of-sorting-out-teachers-pay-issue/-/689364/2394918/-/item/0/-/10l1x6ez/-/index.html

Walusimbi, Deo – ‘Uganda: Muhakanizi Explains Poor Govt Services’ (27.07.2014) Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/201407281639.html

Teachers pay of June – inadequate yet again

I have address yet again inadequate salaries for civil servants in Uganda. This is become a norm and fashion. Once in a while I address this and use different sources to validate the madness of little pay that this loyal subjects and workers in getting measly pay, and sometimes waiting for months on end. So today after seeing yet another NTV Uganda clip. I had to research a bit and here is how the situation looks like. Beginning with the teacher Norbert Agola Opira and his story!

Norbert Agola Opira is a teacher and also a representative at the Uganda National Teachers Union or UNATU. He was credited for his work as a teacher in Uganda with the amount of 10.000 UGX (NTV Footage). His colleges wondered if he had answers since he was their representative. Here is what Norbert Agola Opira says: “They ask me, what are you doing?” (…)”For you are not doing anything, your cutting our money and you’re not helping us” (…)”How can somebody get 15.000? How can we survive? We would never and should never get that money” (NTV Footage). He continues: “This school we’re about 10 teachers close to 15 and another two goats 20/20” (NTV Footage).

Dorothy Baluka who is the Co-Ordinator in Uganda Natonal Teacher Union says: “We have Kabale District, We have Kasese District, we have Serere District, all this districts are being affected with underpayment of salary, no payment of salaries” (…)”We are going to follow up with accounting officers of KCCA to find out what could have been the route cause” (NTV Footage).

This footage came on the 7. July, but the Samuel Eitu the Head of Human Resource in the Ministry of Civil Service on an meeting in Gulu on 30. June 2014 offered this:

“ I though the system had a little problem at the beginning, it should not be an excuse for the teachers and health workers’ salary to be delaying. He says that the accounting officers will have to play their role well to ensure every single individual is paid.” (…) “that with the decentralized payroll system, the chief administrative officers and town clerks will have to ensure that they correct all irregularities that come in regards to payment” (…) ” that even though one person is not paid, the accounting officers should not rest but seek to clarify the matter” (Ugandaradionetwork.com, 2014).

Isaac Newton Ojok the Vice Chairperson of Gulu District: “hat he hopes the ministry keeps to their work of paying the teachers and other civil servants. He noted that it is very unfair for someone who stays in a hard-to-reach area and is teaching genuinely to miss salary for over 5 months”(Ugandaradionetwork, 2014).

Patrick Ojok a tutor at Christ the King Teachers College in Gulu: “he has never got his salary since he was transferred early this year from Lira” (…)”he has been suffering with loans and has failed to meet his bills even though he has been working”(Ugandaradionetwork, 2014).

This report from the meeting found out that in Gulu 146 teachers was not getting their salarys and in Arua there were 350 teachers who we’re yet to get their salary in from different months since January (Ugandaradionetwork, 2014).

While this is happening the Finance Ministry spokesman Jim Mugunga that civil servants would now have to use public institutions to loan money. He is also quoting a letter from the ministry: “The Government has stopped making monthly loan deductions on salaries of public servants, effective July 1. It has withdrawn loan codes from its payroll”. Also saying: “ some financial institutions even made deductions on accounts of public officers who did not have loan obligations,” the document read, without naming the institutions involved” (…)”The ministry does not want to be associated with this fraud.” (Masaba, 2014).

James Tweheyo the spokesman of UNATU saying “their members would have to rely on the mercy of chief administrative officers (CAOs) to recommend them for salary loans” (…)”noted that the assistance of the CAOs would not be effective for teachers because they often get transferred from one district to another, without consultation“ (Masaba, 2014).

Joseph Sewungu the Kalungu West MP says of the matter: “A teacher’s salary is the only security he has to secure a loan. But if they are denied this security, it will be bad for them” (Masaba, 2014).

Daniel Nsibambi the former Stanbic bank spokesperson says: “If the rate of getting loans reduces, economic activities slow down and the economy suffers. The Government is the leading employer. I hope bankers find a way to continue giving out salary loans” (…)” They will find it hard to secure loans since they have to produce evidence and assurance that they will be able to pay back the money” (Masaba, 2014).

I wonder how the tale continues, but for sure, the civil servants and their salaries are sure a hot topic and also something that has to be addressed. Since it’s the livelihood of so many people and I have already had some post in this year. This doesn’t look like its stopping. Time will tell.

NTV Footage:

Links:

Semakula, Joan and Masaba, John – ‘The finance ministry has stopped undertaking salary loan guarantees for public servants’ (05.07.2014), New Vision Uganda – Link: http://www.newvision.co.ug/news/657223-gov-t-stops-guaranteeing-bank-loans.html

UgandaRadioNetwork.com:  Govt To Pay Teachers Salary Arrears On June 30th Link: http://ugandaradionetwork.com/a/story.php?s=64626