Emmanuel Gyezaho
The lack of an independent body to set public pay has contributed to glaring inequalities in salaries paid to government employees, an investigation by this newspaper shows.
Renewed demands by teachers and health workers for higher pay have revealed the massive discrepancies between what government pays its professionals and technocrats, and what it pays politicians and political appointees, some of whom, like MPs, determine their own pay.
“For everybody to feel safe, we should have an independent commission. This business of saying I determine my own benefits is a disaster,” says Mr Keith Muhakanizi, the deputy secretary to the Treasury.
“A permanent secretary earns about Shs2.5 million every month and yet a minister pockets Shs20 million per month. That is a matter of concern. We all get our money from the Consolidated Fund. We work in the same ministries but why do they [ministers] earn more?”
An analysis of the 2010/11 Financial Year salary structure for public servants reveals that politicians are at the top of the salary tree followed by technocrats with the lower cadres, such as teachers, medical workers, police and army earning several times less at the bottom of the pyramid.
Although government instituted an across-the-board pay raise for its civil servants by allocating Shs240 billion and an additional Shs18 billion to enhance the salaries of scientists, our investigations reveal that this has made no dent in the inequalities.
For instance, although the basic pay for a newly-recruited doctor rose by Shs120,000 to Shs751,833, Resident District Commissioners (RDCs) continue to earn more than double this figure, pocketing a gross monthly salary of Shs2,205,000, upped a year ago by Shs100,000.
Daily Monitor analysis also shows that the skewed government salary structure does not effectively reward qualifications. While a doctor will spend approximately 19 years in training, sitting a series of rigorous examinations to qualify for practice, RDCs only need to have an A-Level certificate or its equivalent.
Our analysis further shows that the public pay system does not reward hard work or risk, either. For instance, for putting their lives on the line in defence of the country and working very long hours in hostile conditions, the lowest soldiers are paid about Shs280,000 per month. By comparison, presidential advisers, assistants and special envoys earn an average basic salary of Shs2.2 million – despite some of the advisers not seeing or offering any advice to the President in months or years.
Primary school teachers are paid Shs273,000, secondary school teachers Shs500,000 while police constables and prison warders are paid Shs261,000 per month. While the army, police and prisons officers are exempt from Pay As You Earn tax and receive food and housing, teachers’ pay is taxable and few receive food or housing. The scrapping of Parents Teachers Associations, which often provided a top-up allowance to teachers, has also left them very vulnerable to the rising cost of living.
Politicians on top
Officials from the Public Service Ministry, which determines pay for civil servants, declined several requests for information about how the pay scales are developed. The pay structure, however, shows that politicians who have the authority to make policies or determine their own pay are among the highest paid, with Members of Parliament and ministers earning between Shs15m and Shs20m per month. That figure shoots above the Shs20 million mark depending on which constituency an MP is from and what sort of leadership responsibilities they hold in the House.
While the payroll structure shows that Cabinet ministers are paid as Members of Parliament, these political appointees enjoy extra perks such as free housing, chauffeur-driven vehicles, bodyguards, domestic workers and juicy allowances.
For instance, ministers and MPs receive $620 (Shs1.6 million) per day as night allowance whenever they travel abroad – enough to pay the monthly salaries of about seven teachers – on top of business-class travel.
Ugandan ministers are frequent travellers and go on trips abroad that range from a couple of days to several weeks, picking up considerable allowances in the process. Tomorrow: We reveal the best paid public servants, show the controversy over their pay and explain why the system must be reformed.
egyezaho@ug.nationmedia.com
