By Spy Uganda
The Spokesperson of the Ministry of Defence & Veteran Affairs (MoDVA) Brig Gen.Felix Kulayigye has confirmed the salary enhancements for Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) personnel.
Kulayigye says at the High Command meeting of 06 Jul 22, the technical team led by Permanent Secretary MODVA, comprising personnel from MODVA and Ministry of Public Service (MOPS) presented a number of salary enhancement options that had been proposed to Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development (MOFPED). ”The meeting was informed that eventually a hybrid option of enhancing Gen Offrs salaries by 100%, Snr Offrs by 50% and Capt-Pte by 33% had been agreed upon with MOFPED,” says Kulayigye adding;
”This would require an additional annual amount of Ushs 517,907,737,434 for wages, Ushs 116,847,632,570 for terminal benefits, ultimately translating into a total additional annual requirement of Ushs 634,755,370,004. The enhancement according to Ramathan Ggoobi, the Permanent Secretary and Secretary to the Treasury -MOFPED Would be effected starting FY 2023/24 because the budget for FY 2022/23 had already been passed and the item had not been catered for.”
He notes that the meeting agreed with the team recommendation of 100% enhancement for Gen Officers because they are few, have served for long and many of them are set to retire this FY 2022/23. The same meeting agreed to the enhancement of Senior Officers (Col-Maj) by 50% because they are also not very many and most of them are about to progress to the Gen Officers ranks.
Kulayigye however says that the meeting expressed concern on the enhancement of lower cadres (Capt-Pte) because they are the majority and besides, their salaries had been enhanced in FY 2018/19 when some categories of civil servants salaries were enhanced. ”That time, the Gen Officers and Senior Officers salaries were not enhanced. Enhancing the salaries of the lower cadres again therefore, without considering other civil servants in their category, like the arts teachers, would be unfair and would attract unnecessary complaints.”
He adds that the meeting guided that the team computes the enhancement for Gen Officers at 100%, Senior Officers at 50%, to be effected in FY 2022/23 in order to allow the planned retirement for that category to proceed as planned.
”Members will explain to the lower cadres (Capt-Pte) that their salaries would be enhanced next FY 2023/24, alongside other civil servants as it was the case in FY 2018/19. That is why the retirement of Capt-Pte will be rescheduled to next FY (2023/24), after their enhancement has been achieved. If on the other hand funds to retire the selected category is not available this FY, the whole retirement exercise will be rescheduled to next FY,” says Kulayigye.
