Museveni stops huge allowances for public servants
President Museveni has ordered the Prime Minister, Dr.Ruhakana Rugunda to immediately stop the increment of allowances and emoluments for public servants done by cabinet recently.
Deputy government spokesperson, Col.Shaban Bantariza told journalists that government approved the proposed revised rates of duty facilitation allowances for public officers, which include; night within and outside Uganda, lunch, transport, and sitting allowances among others to allow officers cope with the changing economic situation.
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However, in a letter seen by the Nile Post, the furious Museveni has wondered how the increments were reached at yet the money had not been included in the current budget.
“The funds required to implement this increase was not included in the approved current budget .Why did cabinet approve the new allowances when the budget was already passed,”Museveni wondered.
In the increased figures, the Prime Minister’s daily inland allowance had been increased from shs200,000 to shs490,000 whereas the vice president’s inland night allowance had shot from shs210,000 to shs500,000.
The increments had also seen allowances for cabinet ministers rise from shs190,000 to shs475000 and those for state ministers from shs185000 to shs470,000.
The night allowance for the Chief Justice had jumped from shs195000 to shs480,000 whereas the one for judges of the high Court had also jumped from shs170,000 to shs300,00.
Col.Bantariza said the huge allowances were meant to cater for cost of goods and services and general cost of living that had gone high since 2008 when the last increment had been made.
“This will support the team of lower cadre staff, including the stenographers, drivers, body guards, office attendants and others with low salaries to perform their duties with morale,” he said.
However according to Museveni, this ‘uncoordinated’ management of government affairs should never happen again.
“This is therefore to direct you to chair the cabinet and bring down those rates to what it was before and approved in the budget,”the president added.
