Salary disparities temporary — minister Muruuli

KAMPALA - Salary disparities in Uganda’s public service are temporary and will be addressed as the national budget improves, public service minister Wilson Muruli Mukasa has said.

Speaking during the National Resistance Movement’s (NRM) Manifesto Week at the Office of the President on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, Muruli assured Ugandans that the Government is committed to bridging pay gaps among public servants.

"That is temporary. As long as the budget improves, these disparities will go," Muruli said, adding: "According to our pay targets, these disparities will actually not be there. We shall have something better, with differences only in allowances, but the basic pay for both arts and sciences will be the same for graduate teachers.”

National Emoluments Board

The ministry also revealed that they are working on setting up a national emolument board that will be available as and when needed.

He said the board will be responsible for rereviewing all salaries and emoluments of public officers and ensuring that the benefits align with the services offered.

“They will review the payment terms, and the current salary structure, they will not be full-time but will be available as and when needed. This board will not have representations from any beneficiaries, it will be completely independent of bias,” Muruli said.

According to the commissioner for compensation at the public service ministry, Victor Bua, they have benchmarked countries like Zambia, Kenya where these boards are effective.

Public service achievements

Highlighting achievements under the public service in the last financial year, Muruli noted that the ministry had successfully co-ordinated government agencies in implementing the Rationalisation of Agencies and Public Expenditure (RAPEX).

"Forty Bills aimed at giving legal effect to the approved structures under RAPEX have been submitted to Parliament. Of these, 34 have been passed, and 20 have already been assented to by the President," said Muruli.

He added that the reforms under RAPEX would yield significant financial savings: "The Government will realise annual savings of shillings 906.77 billion. A one-off expenditure of 229.595 billion will cater for gratuity, pension and severance packages for the 2,500 staff affected during the implementation process, including 196.744 billion for the Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) alone."

Salary enhancements

Muruli emphasized the Government's efforts in enhancing salaries for public officers, highlighting significant allocations.

"As of July 2024, the Government has allocated 2.2 trillion toward salary enhancement. This means that 60,077 public officers, excluding the Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF), currently earn 77% of the approved long-term pay targets," he said.

Since the 2017/2018 financial year, 125,276 public officers have had their salaries enhanced. "In the 2024/2025 financial year, salaries for the Uganda Police Force, Uganda Prisons Services, and lower ranks in the UPDF have been enhanced by 40% of the approved long-term pay targets,” added Muruli.

The minister also highlighted progress in achieving 100% of the approved long-term pay targets for scientists. “In the 2022/2023 financial year, sh884.648 billion was allocated to enhance salaries for scientists in mainstream public service,” he said.

Muruli assured the public that teacher accommodation issues are being progressively addressed as the economy grows. He also announced that sh25.44 billion has been allocated for the recruitment of health workers in the 2024/2025 financial year, with ongoing recruitment efforts across various sectors.

As of the 2023/2024 financial year, staffing levels for health workers in local governments stood at 87%, while regional referral hospitals had staffing levels of 62%.

Addressing ghost workers

The issue of ghost workers remains a significant challenge within the public service. The Manifesto Implementation Unit, under the Office of the President, identified gaps such as absenteeism, slow digitization of services, and ghost workers as areas requiring urgent attention.

Willis Bashasha, the director of the Manifesto Implementation Unit, called for swift action to eliminate ghost workers.

"In the next five years, we shall not have this problem of ghost workers," said Muruli. "We will employ biometric machines and other strategies to ensure this issue is resolved."

The ministry revealed that approximately 5,000 ghost workers have already been removed from the payroll following a recent validation exercise of public servants.

While the achievements were significant, Bashasha urged the government to accelerate the digitization of services and address absenteeism among public servants.

"Addressing these challenges will improve service delivery and ensure accountability across the board," Bashasha emphasized.