Tensions mount over disparities in Uganda’s public service salaries

By MUBATSI ASINJA HABATI and JOSHUA MASINDE
Published November 10, 2009

A huge remuneration discrepancy exists in the Ugandan public service, according to a sectoral analysis report carried out in public service sector and other government institutions by Uganda’s Ministry of Finance. The report puts the Permanent Secretary’s monthly gross salary of Ush2665760 (US$1437), which ranks as the lowest compared to remuneration for heads of organization in other government statutory bodies. With a monthly gross salary of Ushs8596100 (US$4632), Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) Commissioner General is the highest earning public servant. This sharply contrasts with the Third National Integrity Survey carried out by the office of the Inspector General of Government (IGG) in 2008, placing URA’s Commissioner General’s monthly gross salary at Ush28 million (US$15086).

Aswa County MP, Ronald Reagan Okumu, who chairs the Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities and State Enterprises, explains that the remuneration for the heads of public agencies is set either by an Act of Parliament or a Statutory Board by the minister. Unlike officers working under government ministries, accounting officers heading statutory bodies are professionals with specialised skills, have more duties, and work for longer hours compared to permanent secretaries.

The heads of parastatals have to “monitor these agencies and make sure they run like businesses,” pointed out Mr. Okumu, adding that they work for more hours than other government agencies like the ministries, and this explains their high pay compared to officials like permanent secretaries in ministries, under the same salary scale of U1S .

Mr. Okumu further explained that an agency like the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is much specialised, with the Managing Director executing both policy and accounting duties, unlike the Permanent Secretary, who performs an accounting duty only, and is supported by the minister to run the ministry, which explains remuneration difference.

However, a high ranking official in the Ministry of Finance, who asked for anonymity so as to speak more freely about this issue, said the salary disparities paid by the same government to its workers is creating discontent among the lowly paid workers in the civil service yet they do almost the same work and are qualified. According to this official there is no justification in paying workers in statutory bodies higher salaries (which are nearly 70% higher) compared to their counterparts working in ministries.

“The disparity is a distortion in the market which needs to be addressed. It creates discontent among civil servants because all work done in statutory bodies and ministries is the same and supervision is by the line ministry,” the Ministry of Finance official said, adding: “What does the URA boss do that makes her earn Ushs28 million (US$15086) yet the real work is done by the field staff who collect taxes? Officials in other institutions like (National Forestry Authority (NFA) are inept and ridden by corruption even when they are well paid.”

Mr. Okumu on the other hand explained that the terms and conditions of appointment also have a bearing on remuneration disparity of public officials. The heads of statutory bodies are appointed on contract basis of mostly four years, which means they have no guaranteed job security unlike civil servants working in government ministries, mostly employed on permanent and pensionable basis. “Some of them are appointed on four years’ contract, renewable only once,” noted Mr. Okumu.

But going by the Third National Survey conducted by the IGG in 2008, this suggests an unsubtle pattern of corruption, which is characterised by enormous discrepancies in public officials’ salaries.

As to whether the level of remuneration determines productivity or efficiency at the work place or whether it fans corruption, begs many questions. Whilst low pay for public officials tends to drive them into corrupt tendencies, the best remunerating institutions like URA and the National Drug Authority (NDA) have been ranked as some of the most corrupt according to Transparency International, National IGG and Afro barometer reports. Yet, as Mr. Okumu put it, in Uganda, it is interesting that corruption tends to follow a particular hierarchy; the higher you go, the bigger the corruption. Interestingly, though, the highest earning official, with whooping Ushs28million, sits at the URA, despite this parastatal being ranked the second most corrupt institution in Uganda this year by Transparency International.

Related Posts