A parliamentary committee has proposed a significant salary increase for Resident District Commissioners (RDCs), Deputy RDCs, and Assistant RDCs, in a move that would add approximately Shs 29.078 billion to Uganda’s annual wage bill.
The proposal was presented by Alex Byarugaba while reviewing the 2026/27 Ministerial Policy Statement for the Office of the Presidency.
According to the report, Uganda currently has 146 RDCs, 170 Deputy RDCs, and 432 Assistant RDCs, all of whom have reportedly gone nearly 20 years without a salary adjustment.
Byarugaba noted that the prolonged wage stagnation has significantly reduced purchasing power, especially in the face of inflation. He also pointed out disparities between RDCs and other public officials whose salaries have been enhanced over time.
“The Committee established that, for almost 20 Financial Years, salaries for RDCs and Deputy RDCs have been stagnant. The Committee is cognizant of factors like inflation that erodes the purchasing power,” he said.
He further argued that district-level administrators such as Chief Administrative Officers, over whom RDCs exercise oversight, have already benefited from salary improvements, widening the gap in remuneration within the public service structure.
Under the proposal, Cabinet has recommended increasing the salary of an RDC by Shs 6,706,800, bringing their monthly pay to approximately Shs 9 million.
This would amount to about Shs 11.75 billion annually for all RDCs.
For Deputy RDCs, a proposed increment of Shs 3,722,631 would raise their monthly salary to Shs 5 million, translating into about Shs 7.59 billion annually for the 170 officers.
Assistant RDCs would receive an increase of Shs 1,877,784, pushing their monthly salary to Shs 2,695,000, with an estimated annual cost of Shs 9.73 billion for the 432 officers.
Altogether, the committee estimates that the total financial requirement for the salary enhancement package stands at Shs 29.079 billion for the 2026/27 financial year.
The proposal now awaits further scrutiny as Parliament continues deliberations on the national budget framework and public sector wage structure.
