Electoral Commission asks for pay rise

Staff of Uganda’s Electoral Commission (EC) on Friday petitioned the Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga over a salary increment. They also complained that the Standard Gauge Railway is going to displace them from their headquarters.

In their petition brought to the speaker by the EC’s commissioners and Secretary Sam Rwakojjo, they complained that staff have spent 18 years with no salary increment yet other public servants have had their salaries increased annually.

New EC chairperson Justice Simon Byabakama read the petition and said that it is “a shame that drivers of some civil servants get more salary than that of the electoral commission chairperson and the commissioners”.

Byabakama has also revealed the headquarters of the electoral commission are going to be re-located just because it is the area where the Standard Gauge Railway is going to pass. He said the EC have not yet received money to acquire land where a new headquarters will be constructed.

The EC boss said that even though the parliament tasked them to organize the Local Council (LC1) elections before the end of March, they have not yet received any coin from the government and that they cannot confirm the date when these elections are to take place.

EC team – Kadaga photo op. @882SanyuFM pic.twitter.com/nhi74QKLW5

— Vincent Kasozi (@VincentCarsozy) January 27, 2017

“We would like you to help us secure more money for general voter education so that the commission can be able to educate the people on election at any time and not to wait for the time of elections and start the exercise,” Byabakama said.

Parliament Speaker Kadaga assured the commission that parliament will help them to get more money for voter education so that they can do their work smoothly.

“I am shocked to hear that the staff of the commission have been getting the same salaries for the last 18 years,” said Kadaga.

“I am going to forward this matter of  salary increment to the relevant committee”.

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editor@independent.co.ug