Government seeks Shs65b for missed public servants salaries By Yasiin Mugerwa Wednesday, June 25 2014 Government has asked for Shs65b in additional funding to pay teachers and other public servants who missed salaries for months on account of a deficit in the wage bill. The Daily Monitor has seen the addendum to the Supplementary Expenditure II for 2013/14 financial year, in which junior Finance minister Fred Omach asked Parliament to approve additional funds transferred from undisclosed institutions with surplus wage. Parliament’s Budget Committee, however, had some reservations about the request with Shadow finance minister Geoffrey Ekanya observing that Finance officials could have budgeted for ghost employees hence some agencies have unexplained wage surplus. Some of the dockets with wage shortfalls include: Health, ICT, Water and Environment, Kampala Capital City Authority, municipal councils countrywide and several districts. Kayunga, Bugiri, Iganga, Wakiso, Kabale, Kalangala, Kasese; Masaka, Buyende, Buikwe, Buvuma, Gomba; Maracha; Bukedea, Luuka, Mityana, Amuru, Budaka and Kween districts lacked money to pay salaries for teachers and health workers. In the revised supplementary request, Uganda Revenue Authority is also seeking more than Shs2.5b under the item on fines and court awards. The details on the supplementary request show that the money is needed as a replacement of funds from the tax refund budget that was paid to M/s Curtis in respect of legal fees. Parliament has so far refused to endorse a request for more than Shs220b in supplementary funding the government attributed to “emergencies” after Finance ministry officials failed to explain the source of the money. Under the blocked supplementary, the government wanted Shs139b to facilitate the registration for national IDs. Ministry of Finance has since tabled another request of more than Shs200b in supplementary funding to finance UPDF operations in South Sudan and other spending pressures. An additional Shs60b was also needed by Uganda Police to recruit 3,500 police officers as part of the 2016 election roadmap. Another Shs8.1b was also urgently required by Ministry of Justice to facilitate the Tullow and Heritage Oil arbitration cases going on in London. More than Shs1.3b was going to Uganda National Examinations Board to facilitate examinations. Opposition MPs petitioned the Budget Committee two weeks ago complaining that the Finance ministry had domestically borrowed Shs219.8b without prior parliamentary approval. The committee is expected to present its report this week. [email protected]
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 23:07:27 +0000
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