Government has no capacity to pay LC1 chairpersons as anticipated previously by President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
While in a meeting with LC1 chairpersons in Mukono district on Monday, State Minister for water Ronald Kibuule revealed that government has no money to fulfil its promise to pay LCs shs120.000 annually.
“I would like to inform you that we don’t have money to pay the LC1s and members of their committees. We cannot pay LC1 chairpersons independently.
We have to pay all of them but we don’t have any money to facilitate this kind of budget right now,” Hon. Kibuule stated in relation to Museveni’s new year’s message.
In his message to Ugandans Museveni while at his country home in Rwakitura, Kiruhura District noted that; government recognises the sacrifice rendered by LC’s and NRM party structure in particular at the expense of personal development just to serve the country.
“We need to wait until we grow our financial base through oil and others. I encourage you to make Saccos which government is ready to finance.”
More to that he urged them to participate in the ongoing government programmes aimed eradicating poverty like the Operation Wealth Creation (OWC), savings and credit cooperative organisations where government can channel its support to them.
According to Kibuule, government is to avail bicycles to LC1 chairpersons as earlier pledged by president Museveni to those who were not considered in the previous exercise carried out which was struck by procurement scandal. Though he did not specify the specific time period.
Meanwhile, Ms. Jenifer Namuyangu outlined government’s plan on LC1s noting that government has a filed plan to raise LC1s ex-gratia of 10.000shs.
But, cautioned that it won’t be monthly salary.
Adding to that Namuyangu disclosed that government is laying down strategies on how to revamp the existing ex-gratia that the LCs receive at a moment. But she did not disclose how much LCs will be getting after it’s revision.
“It will be a little more than what they get currently but not a salary as such. We don’t have enough money for a salary and that is why we are just trying to look around for something small.”
Relatedly, Namuyangu observed that the proposed reforms on ex-gratia rates are already stated by their technical teams to be presented to the Ministry of Finance to get a certificate of financial implication and after wards a cabinet memo will be made for approval by the Uganda’s legislature.
Likewise, Mr. Don Wanyama the senior presidential press secretary, said that without coordinating the issue with the Ministry of Public Service and Cabinet President Museveni cannot commit himself to pay LCs.
During the swearing in ceremony of LC1s and LC2 most of these leaders petitioned government to pay them a monthly salary of 150,000.
Meaning government will have to spend shs9.1bn per month to pay 60,800 LC1 chairpersons per month all over the country.
