By D. Magara, J. Semakula and B. Mayanja

Civil servants who have been eagerly waiting to receive their salaries since January 28, may smile on Monday.

Jonas Tumwine, the principal public relations officer of Ministry of Public Service, yesterday said the salaries would be paid within three days. Salaries will be on the accounts by Monday, Tumwine said.

Civil servants this week complained that their salaries which are usually paid by the 28th of every month had not been paid by February 6.

A source in local government said the ministry had promised to pay the salaries between February 4 and 8.

This week, the deputy secretary to the Treasury, Keith Muhakanizi, had also promised action by Friday.

The spokesperson of the Ministry of Finance, Jim Mugunga, said the delayed salary disbursement was due to a data migration hiccup in the Ministry of Public Service.

Tumusiime said they were in transit from the original payroll to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPS).

The IPPS was embraced last year and Tumwine said it had to be done carefully to avoid errors.

But Margaret Rwabushaija, the chairperson of Uganda National Teachers Union (UNATU), said teachers were fed up with the Government’s lame excuses on salaries.

“Most Government teachers who reported back to work at the beginning of the term were hopeless and helpless because their children were still at home,” Rwabushaija said.

Namutumba district publicist Saul Waigolo said the district leadership spent Thursday explaining the cause of the delayed salaries to teachers.

Last year, teachers were put on the IPPS. This time round, it was the traditional staff like extension workers, whose details were reportedly being fed into the system.

Tumwine said the public service ministry was working hand-in-hand with finance to ensure salary payments were done on time in the future.