Top-ranking officers in the Uganda Police Force and Uganda Prisons Service will now earn a uniform salary of Shs12.75 million per month, following a newly approved structure by the Ministry of Public Service.
According to a circular issued by Catherine Birakwate, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Public Service under the 2025/26 financial year pay structure, all officers holding the ranks of Commissioner, Senior Commissioner, and Assistant Inspector General of Police (AIGP) will now receive a uniform monthly salary of Shs12.75 million.
This marks a major shift from the previous pay disparities within the same ranks, where salaries ranged between Shs7 million and Shs12.75 million depending on specialization and directorate.
Under the old arrangement, a Commissioner of Police earned Shs7.8 million, a Senior Commissioner received Shs10.6 million, while an AIGP in the legal directorate was paid Shs8.7 million. AIGPs classified as scientists earned Shs12.75 million, while their counterparts in general service earned Shs7 million.
The harmonisation now brings all officers at these three senior levels to parity, regardless of their departmental designation. A similar adjustment has been made within the Uganda Prisons Service, where corresponding ranks will receive identical salaries.
In the police hierarchy, Commissioners and Senior Commissioners typically serve as deputy directors, while AIGPs head various directorates. The realignment follows a broader salary overhaul initiated last year, which saw the pay of the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner General of Prisons, along with their deputies, more than double—from Shs6.8 million to Shs15.4 million per month.
While senior officers have seen the most substantial increases, the government also raised salaries for lower-ranking personnel last year. Special Police Constables—the entry-level rank—received a boost from Shs375,200 to Shs440,000, with other junior officers getting increments ranging between Shs64,000 and Shs79,000.
President Yoweri Museveni has consistently advocated for a phased approach to public sector salary enhancement. In 2019, he emphasized that infrastructure, energy, health, tourism, and science innovation would take priority before broad salary increases could be implemented.
“Government must first address the most critical sectors before we can talk about pay rises,” the president said at the time. “But the increases will come in phases, starting with the most essential categories.”
The latest pay reform signals the government’s continued effort to address income disparities within the security sector, while responding to long-standing demands for better remuneration by senior officers.