Teachers in Kumi spend months without pay

Kumi, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Teachers who were recruited by the Kumi district local government are demanding payment of salary.

In November, the district recruited 283 teachers who were deployed to different schools across the district. However, the teachers have not accessed the payroll since then, forcing some to forego basic needs like food.

On Monday, Stephen Odongo Osako, Chairperson of Uganda National Teachers Union-UNATU in Kumi and a section of teachers stormed the district headquarters seeking explanations from the Chief Administrative Officer and the education officials.

According to Odongo, the Public Service Standing Orders require that newly recruited civil servants must access the payroll within 14 working days after assuming office.

Odongo adds that it is not the first time for the newly recruited teachers to access the payroll in the district. Last year, several teachers that were recruited by the district took more than two months to access payroll.

Daniel Omoding, one of the affected teachers says that he submitted all the required information by the district in December 2021 but he is surprised that the officials have continued to ask for the same information.

According to Omoding, he is surviving on debts, sometimes making him starve for days because of the accumulated debts.

Rose Ajulong, another teacher says that in a bid to survive, she has borrowed money from relatives and friends with the hope of paying it back.

Sarah Adongo, the District Inspector of Schools says that the district is working hard to address the matter. She noted that the district has been under transition after the transfer of Abdu Batambuze, the former CAO of Kumi.

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URN