MPs Urge Public Service Ministry to Rectify Police Payroll Issues Over Unpaid Wages
Kampala-Uganda. Parliamentarians have called upon the Ministry of Public Service to streamline the police payroll system to address the persistent issue of unpaid salaries among officers.
Their concerns arose in response to a statement by the Minister of Defence and Internal Affairs, Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, which was delivered by the Minister of State for Trade, Industry and Cooperatives (Industry), Hon. David Bahati, during the plenary session on Thursday, 17 April 2025.
According to Bahati, certain officers have missed payments due to inconsistencies in personal records such as names and birth dates.
“In 2023, the Auditor General undertook a verification exercise for all public servants. Some officers did not fulfill the verification criteria due to absent national identity cards and irregularities in their names and birth dates. These were categorized as partially verified,” Bahati explained.
He further noted that the transition from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll System (IPPS) to the Human Capital Management System (HCM) has contributed to delays in salary disbursement for some officers.
“Salaries under HCM are prioritized, after which the IPPS process begins—this sequence is to prevent double payments. While the two systems don’t cause missing salaries, they do delay payments for those still on IPPS. The transition to HCM is ongoing to ensure full migration,” he added.
The issue was initially raised by Hon. Sarah Opendi, the Woman MP for Tororo District, who challenged the minister to release a list of affected personnel and provide a timeline for full system migration.
“The audit report shows unused salary allocations for police officers. These officers remain silent due to fear of retribution. The Minister of Public Service should clarify the delay in completing this system integration,” Opendi stated.
Hon. Grace Mugasa, Minister of State for Public Service, responded by saying the transition is underway, aimed at eliminating fictitious workers from the payroll.
“We discovered numerous non-existent employees on the payroll, causing the government to lose around Shs5 billion annually,” she remarked.
The Leader of the Opposition, Hon. Joel Ssenyonyi, demanded a prompt resolution, stressing the urgency of the matter.
“Police officers are lashing out at civilians out of frustration. They earn minimal wages that barely sustain them, and even that is delayed. We demand government address this issue immediately,” Ssenyonyi urged.
Hon. Godfrey Onzima (NRM, Aringa North County) questioned the rationale behind the frequent system changes, blaming them for the inconsistencies.
“The Ministry of Public Service keeps introducing new systems every few years. Why not develop one that functions effectively for at least a decade?” Onzima queried.
Hon. Rosemary Nyakikongoro (NRM, Sheema District) argued that it is unjust for officers to forfeit their earnings due to system failures.
“It’s a requirement to have a national ID before joining the force. How is it then that during payroll processing, we’re told they lack identification?” she asked.
Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa directed the Minister of Public Service to deliver a detailed update within two weeks.
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