Kitgum civil servants threaten ‘action’ over pay
By Stephen Komakech
19th Dec 2011: Civil servants in the northern district of Kitgum have threatened to take unspecified ‘action’ against the government’s failure and or delay to pay their salary arrears. Although the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Public Service has made assurances that Kitgum’s civil servants will be paid their November salary soon, many civil servants in Kitgum are losing hope.
The civil servants have not been paid their salary arrears for the month of November. A primary school teacher in Kitgum town who requested for anonymity says his family is on the verge of starvation because he no longer has enough money left to buy food to feed them. Many have now started engaging in other economic activities that they hope will help them raise money to cater for their families.
The primary school teacher says he has accumulated debts amounting to half of his salary and adds that he is not sure whether the money that will come will be enough to sustain the family for another month. Some of his colleagues say they are running out of patience and might suggest action to be taken against this delay although they did not specify the action.
According to Kitgum district Assistant Finance Officer in charge of salaries Mr. George Otika, they [as a district] have made several consultations with the PS in the Ministry of Public Service seeking explanation for the delay. He said the PS assured them that the salaries for the civil servants will be paid anytime from now. Otika however worries that the civil servants will soon stop listening to their explanation and lay down their tools.
Civil servants in the district are still carrying on with their normal duties although most of them are now working for only a few hours a day because they have to attend to other activities to raise money. Otika appealed to the civil servants not to take any drastic action as he hopes they will receive their money anytime from now. END: Please login to www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
