Mengo fails to pay sh200m in allowances

Feb 22, 2007

Mengo has accumulated over sh200m in allowance arrears for its 100-plus workers in the last six months.

By Josephine Maseruka

Mengo has accumulated over sh200m in allowance arrears for its 100-plus workers in the last six months.

The Kabaka’s government does not give salary to its workers, but they get allowances.

Workers told The New Vision on Tuesday that at the time former Katikkiro (prime minister), Dan Muliika, was sacked last week, Mengo had only paid one month’s allowances to a handful of people to help them return their children to school.

The workers refuted media reports that Muliika had paid all workers their allowances.

They charged that only Muliika and six staff members who worked in his office had been paid up to January.

Workers in the royal treasury (Enkuruze) had also been cleared, they added.

The majority of the workers lamented that for half a year they have not been paid.

Mengo finance minister A.B. Ntaate said they had nomoney to pay the workers’ allowances, adding that they were doing everything possible to bring down the accumulating arrears.

He explained that the central government owes Mengo sh440m in rent arrears for utilising some kingdom assets.

Ntaate regretted that the Government had not honoured its agreement with Mengo for over a year for utilising Butikkiro, which houses the Joint Clinical Research centre, Makindye army barracks and the Supreme Court in Mengo.

Rent arrears have risen to sh183m for Butikkiro and sh129m each for the barracks and the court.

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