Salary Delays Hit Government Workers Again Amid System Upgrade
Public servants across Uganda will experience another delay in receiving their July salaries, with payments now expected to be processed by August 6, 2024. The Ministry of Public Service announced the delay in a memo dated July 29, citing a system upgrade as the cause.
According to Ms. Catherine Bitarakwate, the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Service, the delay is due to improvements in the payment systems. The system upgrade, which began on July 26, was completed just two days before the scheduled salary payment date. Payroll validation was finished on July 29.
Ms. Bitarakwate explained that the upgrade is aimed at enhancing the efficiency of the Human Capital Management System and the Integrated Financial Management System. These upgrades are intended to create a more seamless flow of information between the two systems, ensuring accuracy and automatic validation of payroll invoices.
Despite the delay, Ms. Bitarakwate assured that progress is being made. “As of now, 46 payments are in the process of being disbursed. We expect that by Tuesday, all salaries will be processed. The delay is approximately seven days,” she said.
This recent delay follows a pattern of recurring issues with salary payments. Similar delays were reported in May 2022, attributed to a system upgrade, and again in July 2022 due to issues with salary structure issuance. The Minister of State for General Duties at the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Henry Musasizi, had previously stated that an investigation would be conducted into these recurring delays.
Mr. Jim Mugunga, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, reassured workers that their salaries are forthcoming. On July 16, the Ministry of Finance announced the release of Shs 5.8 trillion for the first quarter of expenses, including Shs 1.9 billion for wages and Shs 323.5 billion for pensions and gratuity.
Ms. Bitarakwate also emphasized that the automation process should prevent future delays. The government is working to clean its payroll system and address issues such as ghost workers, overpayments, and illegal deductions. A salary forensic audit for the financial year ending June 2022 revealed significant irregularities, costing taxpayers over Shs 80 million.
To address these issues, the Office of the Auditor General conducted a census of all government workers last year.
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