President Yoweri Kaguta Tibuhaburwa Museveni has rejected a proposal by the Parliamentary Commission to increase salaries of staff, saying they should wait for some financial years.
On May 05, President Museveni met members of the Parliamentary Commission, which is led by Speaker Anita Annet Among (Bukedea District Woman MP – NRM) and her deputy Thomas Tayebwa (Ruhinda North – NRM).
In the meeting, President Museveni, who is also the ruling NRM National Chairman, sought to inform the Parliamentary Commission of his government’s priorities. He told them to “give priority to issues affecting our people.”
“This country does not belong to us [leaders] but to Ugandans,” added the 77-year-old President who has ruled Uganda since 1986.
He also expressed joy that the 11th Parliament has “moved well.” Anita Among and Thomas Tayebwa have been steering the House for over a month. Among who was deputy speaker until March 2022 was elevated following Speaker Jacob Oulanyah’s death.
In the same meeting with the Parliamentary Commission, Museveni also warned the legislative arm of government against misusing budgets. The President urged Among and Tayebwa to ensure that Parliamentary Committees are funded “but in small numbers.”
Museveni also broached the issue of salaries for parliamentary staff. He made it clear to the Parliamentary Commission to inform staff to be patient. The head-of-state and government said the House should prioritize the enhancement of salaries for teachers UPDF officers and health workers.
“The issue of increasing salaries for parliament staff should wait. All others (teachers, army, medical workers) are getting low salaries, handle their welfare first,” Museveni told members of the Parliamentary Commission.
Recently, President Museveni told prosecutors that he would ensure that their staffing levels increase before his government can think of increasing their salaries as they were demanding.
The issue of salary increment has remained thorny in recent months, with science teachers and health workers threatening to go on strike if they are not considered for salary increment as the president previously promised them.
The complaints were sparked by a leaked new salary structure that some government employees claim has since been edited to remove them as beneficiaries of a budgetary allocation for salary enhancement.
For example, science teachers say that Shs110bn meant for their salary enhancement disappeared from the budget framework paper for the 2022-23 Financial Year and that it was transferred to cater for increment for other scientists. Science teachers say this is great discrimination and have vowed to go on strike if there are no assurances that their salaries will be enhanced.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Service has not offered much hope to the science teachers, who insist they are also scientists and should be considered. Catherine Bitarakwate, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, was recently quoted as saying that all health workers — including morgue attendants — would have their salaries increased starting July 2022 by sharing a Shs400bn budgetary allocation. (Read Story Here).
