NIRA officials go three months without payment as registration exercise ends

Assistant registration officers working with National Identification Registration Authority have complained about non payment of their wages. According to the appointment terms, the officials many of them youth were to receive a daily wage of 32,000 shillings in addition to logistical support for 72 days.

However, the responsible authorities have since been tight lipped on issues of their pay.

Many of them were forced to find alternative sources to facilitate themselves in the field up to the end of the exercise which wound up on Friday, May 10, 2019.

The officials walked home in frustration on Friday upon being asked to handover the equipment to their respective districts with no clear communication about their remuneration.

One of the victims who preferred anonymity for fear of persecution told Nile Post that it has been  tendency of NIRA to manipulate and exploit lower cadres.

Joy Masaba (not real name) says she was not paid 2 months in the previous exercise adding that efforts to follow up her money ended in futility after the operations officer at the head quarters  told her to give up on the money adding that it had been returned to the national treasury.

"It creates fear in us especially me because last time I worked during learners project in 2017 but they did not pay me for 2 months. I have tried to follow up with regional supervisor and the operations manager but all in vain," she said.

She named some colleagues who forfeited the money.

"They deposited salary for 2 months on our bank accounts then they changed to mobile money for the remaining monies but isolated people got all the.money"

The officers further noted that they have been silent for fear of being denied opportunity in subsequent programmes.

Andrew Wasibi, a former enrollment officer for Bukiyi Sub county in Sironko, says he was shown his exit when he tried to ask questions regarding irregularities in payment and has since been blocked from participating in the exercise.

The deputy PRO NIRA Michael Muganga says their monies was posted on Thursday ànd it should  be on their accounts latest Monday adding that they will receive all their entitlements stipulated in their appointment letters.

"Most of them  took long to have TINs  and have their bank details in order," said Muganga.

Sources also revealed that NIRA was only good during the time of General Aronda Nyakairima, and things have never been the same since his death.