Government gives judges goats, cows to soothe them over salary demands

Government on Saturday gave judges goats and cows to improve their lievelihood but the judicial officers said this will not sway them to drop their demands including enhancing their salaries.

The judges also promised that they will still go on strike on July 1 if government does not grant them a salary increment.

The judges have announced they will again go on a sit down strike countrywide come July 2018, their earlier set deadline for government to grant them salary enhancement.

Receiving the goats and cows at Nakawa court, the judges and judicial officials said they are still bitter and no amount of goodies will influence them.

“It’s clear our demands have always been pay raise and not goats and cows, but if it is to turn our faces away from our earlier demands, we are sorry that will not work”, the president Uganda Judicial officers Association (UJOA), Godfrey Kawesa, said.

According to Gen Salim Saleh the coordinator, Operation Wealth Creation (OWC) and Dr. Samuel Mugasi the heads of NAADS, the cows and goats received by the judges will help improve their livelihood.

Under  OWC, magistrates in the countrywide will get two cross breed goats well as the judges will get one cross breed heifer.

Kawesa said: "Our services is more than goats and cows, let’s hope they have a clean intension”

“Let us receive it like any other citizens supposed to benefit from the state, come July 2018, if our demands are no met we will lay down our tools”.

According to the current pay structure, the chief justice earns Shs 20m, his deputy Shs 18m and the principal judge Shs 10m while a Supreme court judge earns Shs 9.6m and a judge of the Court of Appeal/Constitutional court gets Shs 9.3m.

High court judges earn Shs 9 million each whereas Grade II magistrates earn Shs 737, 837 per month.

Late last year the Public Service minister Muruli Mukasa said a special cabinet meeting chaired by president Museveni had agreed to grant a salary increment to a number of public servants including the judicial officers but such pledges have since never come and now being regarded as hot air.