More than 145 claimants in Ntungamo District are set to receive long-delayed gratuity and pension payments after government released Shs4 billion in supplementary funding to clear accumulated arrears.
The intervention follows a district-wide verification and clean-up exercise that uncovered alleged bribery, missing claimant files and payroll irregularities that left several beneficiaries unpaid for up to three financial years despite having verified service records.
Many claimants say they have endured repeated delays, rejections and alleged demands for bribes before their files could be processed.
Some widows of deceased public servants say they have spent years making repeated trips to district offices in search of payments needed to support their families.
“My husband Twesigye Moses passed on. He worked as a quota master at Rwamanyonyi Secondary School in Ntungamo District. I have suffered for three years, moving back and forth since Jennifer’s time. I am now hopeful because the CAO has assured me that before June ends I will be helped,” said Patience Busigye, a widow and mother of four.
Ntungamo Chief Administrative Officer Fedelis Kiiza said investigations are ongoing into allegations of fraud and administrative sabotage within the payment system.
He said some claimant files were allegedly hidden or discarded, prompting a comprehensive verification exercise.
“When we went into the process of establishing claimants, we found some files had been hidden or thrown away in officers’ offices. We brought them together and compiled a list of over 145 people who had been claiming without hope of being paid. Their documents were reviewed, audited and a total of Shs4.4 billion was established as the liability required to clear gratuity arrears. That is the list the Ministry of Finance considered, and they released money to pay all these claimants,” Kiiza said.
Senior Human Resource Officer Justin Nuwashaba attributed the delays largely to inadequate budgeting over the past two to three financial years, which left the district unable to meet pension and gratuity obligations on time.
“We are working hard to ensure we budget properly for pensioners and gratuity in every financial year. For the past two financial years we have had insufficient funds, but we are glad government has provided a supplementary budget of about Shs4 billion. I can confirm that by 30 June 2026, every verified beneficiary will be paid,” Nuwashaba said.
Authorities say all verified claimants are expected to be cleared by June 30, 2026, following reforms aimed at strengthening payroll and financial management systems.
They add that the payroll has been cleaned up to eliminate irregularities and ensure timely payments.
Kiiza added that past malpractice, including alleged bribery in the pension system, had been addressed under the ongoing reforms.
“Previously it was a bad practice where someone had to pay to access their pension. That also affected salary payments. We have now cleaned the payroll, and everyone is being paid under the correct cost centres. There is now improved accountability in the system,” he said.