Kalaki LC1 chairpersons want salary enhancement, cry out to Muntu

KALAKI - A group of Local Council 1 chairpersons from Kalaki district has asked the government to consider a substantial salary enhancement from the current monthly payment of sh10,000 to sh250,000.

They argued that they form the lowest-funded tier of local governance, yet they are the foundation on which government service delivery begins. Their appeal was directed to the Alliance for National Transformation presidential flagbearer, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Mugisha Muntu.

Speaking on behalf of the group, Martin Emong Elapu, the LC1 chairperson for Odikara village, Adie ward in Otuboi town council, said the monthly stipend of sh10,000, which he described as “a pittance that cannot sustain a family or even cover transport to the subcounty office”, is insufficient for them to perform their duties effectively.

Muntu reiterated his five-point agenda, which includes increasing funding for local governments and reviving the Cooperative Bank to support grassroots economic development. (All Photos by Stuart Yiga)

He said their term of office has been extended without elections due to a lack of funds, yet salaries have not improved.

“We were promised sh250,000 per month by President Yoweri Museveni, but this is the money we have been getting per year, with the government giving us sh10,000,” he alleged.

Another chairperson, Joshua Etengu of Ajikidak village, Ousia parish in Apapai subcounty, said the government should not focus only on Members of Parliament as the only public officials deserving decent pay.

“We also have some duties we do for the state. We have school fees and our health centres are normally understaffed without drugs when our people are sick,” Etengu said.

“Paying MPs over sh30m when we are getting only sh10,000 is unfair and it normally comes when it is late,” he added.

He said they receive the sh10,000 via mobile money quarterly and are still demanding payment for the last quarter.

Etengu further appealed to Muntu to intervene. “We have written to the Ministry of Local Government, we have pleaded with the district council, but nothing moves. Gen. Muntu, you promised us a better Uganda. Please hear our cry,” he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

While touring the Teso subregion, beginning in Amolatar, Kalaki and Amuria districts, Muntu reiterated his five-point agenda, which includes increasing funding for local governments and reviving the Cooperative Bank to support grassroots economic development.

Addressing voters at Awawali Ward in Otuboi town council in Kalaki district, Muntu pledged to increase the local government budget to address salary disparities.

“If the current system cannot pay a village chairperson a living wage, how can we expect them to deliver services?” Muntu asked.

LC I chairpersons in Kalaki carry out duties including dispute resolution, mobilising communities for health campaigns, overseeing road maintenance, and coordinating security, yet they do not receive allowances for fuel, stationery or communication.

Etengu described his daily challenges: “I walk three kilometres to the subcounty office because I cannot afford boda boda fare. My children miss school when I am away. It is unsustainable.”

The plea comes at a time when teachers and medical workers have also expressed frustration over long-standing salary issues and the absence of a minimum wage.

Muntu pledged to fast-track a review of local government remuneration should ANT win the 2026 elections.

“We will allocate funds directly to LC1 offices, introduce a hardship allowance, and ensure timely disbursement of subventions,” he said, aligning his plans with President Museveni’s recent call for increased subventions to new cities and municipalities.

For Muntu, the concerns raised in Kalaki add another urgent issue to his campaign agenda: safeguarding the dignity of grassroots leaders so that they can drive national development from the village level upward.