Parliament has uncovered major disparities in the remuneration of political leaders across local governments, with some Sub-county councilors earning as little as Shs35,000 per month, while their counterparts in cities and municipalities earn up to Shs250,000.
This revelation is contained in the Report of the Committee on Government Assurance and Implementation which assessed the status of assurances to fully operationalize newly created cities.
“The Committee noted gross variations in the remuneration to Political Leaders at both City level and Local Governments,” the report reads in part, adding that the findings were “demonstrated by the huge disparities in the salary structures.”
The Committee, chaired by Abed Bwanika, expressed concern that the salaries of new city leaders and staff are still meager and not commensurate with the rising cost of living.
“This is no different from the report by the Ministry of Local Government when appearing before the House Committee on Public Service on March 26, 2024,” the report adds.
According to the report:
· Sub-county Chairpersons earn Shs 400,000,
· Sub-county Councilors earn Shs35,000,
· Municipal, City, and District Councilors earn Shs250,000,
·Speakers and their deputies earn between Shs300,000 and Shs600,000,
·City and District Executive Committee members earn Shs600,000,
·City and District Chairpersons earn Shs2 million monthly.
The situation is not much better in districts like Mbarara, where:
·Executive Committee members earn Shs700,000,
· Speakers and Deputy Speakers also earn Shs700,000,
· Councillors take home Shs 250,000, all figures before tax.
“The Sitting Allowances per Council or Committee do not exceed 15% of the Local Revenue Collection,” the Committee further noted.
The Committee attributed these disparities to Uganda’s fiscal decentralization system, where local revenue generation directly influences how much political leaders are paid.
The report revealed, “Cities with higher local revenues will have more funds to spend on emoluments of their officials, as opposed to those with less revenue, which not only creates discrepancies in salaries but also demoralizes public servants.”
The Committee warned that these disparities are not only unjust but are also affecting morale and performance in local governments.
“Discrepancies in emoluments and allowances cause a decline in morale among political leaders, especially those in sub-counties with lower local revenues,” the report reads.
It adds, “It becomes difficult to attract and retain competent leaders in such areas.”
The report calls for urgent reforms in the salary structure of local government leaders to ensure equity and sustainability, especially as the country continues to operationalize new administrative units.
