Govt explains delays of Uganda Police Force salaries

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The government has assured Uganda Police Force personnel that efforts are underway to integrate their biodata into the Human Capital Management System (HCMS), a step aimed at resolving persistent issues related to delayed and missing salaries.

“The data migration from IPPS to the Human Capital Management System started in October 2024 involving reorganizing data records. The migration of data is still ongoing. Payments on the two systems do not run concurrently as salaries on HCM are paid first, and the process of payment on IPPS starts. This is to avoid double payments. The two systems, however, don’t cause missing salaries but delays for those still on IPPS. The process is underway to ensure all are migrated to the HCM system,” State Minister for Trade, David Bahati,  said earlier Thursday (April 18).

The Ndorwa East MP gave the brief on the floor of Parliament while standing in for the state minister for Internal Affairs, Gen. David Muhoozi, who according to communication from Deputy Speaker Thomas Tayebwa, was unable to attend due to other official obligations.

The matter was recently raised on the floor of Parliament by Tororo Woman MP Sarah Opendi (NRM), and has also featured prominently in several media reports.

According to Bahati, UPF personnel receive their salaries at the end of each month. However, he acknowledged that some officers experience delays due to various factors, including failure to meet validation requirements.

“In 2023, the Auditor General conducted a validation exercise for government employees. Some officers failed to meet the requirements due to missing National Identification cards in their names or dates of birth. These officers were categorized as partially validated,” Bahati explained.

He further noted that in some cases, salaries bounce due to inconsistencies between the national ID details submitted to banks and those recorded in government systems. Adding that the other challenge arises as a result of some officers who desert.

“Officers who desert work are removed from the payroll. When such officers re-appear, they are subjected to a disciplinary process which sometimes takes long hence salary payment delays. Since January 2025, 86 officers were declared deserters, 65 returned and are undergoing disciplinary trials,” he said.

Before an officer is removed from the payroll, unit commanders are required to flag concerns to the Directorate of Human Resource Administration, which then reviews the justification and approves the deletion.

Similarly, reinstating an officer follows a structured process. Verification begins at the officer’s unit and proceeds to the Directorate, where the matter is assessed and processed accordingly.

Bahati also highlighted issues related to inconsistencies in date of birth records.

“Some officers were retired in March 2024 before their retirement date according to other documents. This was due to inconsistencies in date of birth records in the payroll system, personal file records and the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) record. In March 2024, the number of officers who were retired were 426 and we have so far cleared 104. Those retired are 179 and those with varying dates of birth are records are 143,” he added.

Police lawyer’s pay

During the same sitting, MPs heard that the issue of police lawyers demanding an enhanced salary as per court decision has been referred to the Attorney General (AG) Kiryowa Kiwanuka for guidance and implementation.

ln August, last year court directed the Attorney General, Kiryowa Kiwanuka, to enforce a presidential directive that requires Police lawyers' salaries to be equivalent to those of their counterparts in the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

This was after the Civil Division of the High Court presided over by Justice Musa Ssekaana, ruled that the decision of the Ministry of Public Service to reduce the salary of Uganda Police Force legal officers was unconstitutional, illegal and ultra vires.

Subsequently, the judge quashed the decision made by the Ministry of Public Service to revise (lower) the salary structure of the Uganda Police Force legal officers.

“The decision to revise the salary payments of the Uganda Police Force legal professionals downwards below the enhanced salary scale was a violation of the presidential directive and an attempt to undermine the fountain of honour,” the judge declared, in a ruling dated August 16, 2024.

Consequently, Justice Ssekaana ordered the Attorney General to ensure that the affected police lawyers (applicants) and other legal officers in the same category receive all outstanding salary arrears. This includes non-payment and underpayment of their enhanced salary.

The Police officers are: Christine Nanding, Paul Fred Mirondo, Katrine Kusemererwa, Stephen Ibanda Kagoda, Rosemary Victoria Kirunda, Jimmy Shunu Chepkurui and Stella Ninsima Rwambuka.

Presidential directive 

In 2008, the Government made a policy to enhance the salary of lawyers working with the government as a measure to control their exit from government to private practice and also to attract professionals to government Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

The policy stemmed from a lawsuit filed against the Government in 2008 by aggrieved Police legal officers. They initiated the case due to feeling discriminated against after being excluded from a salary enhancement.

Subsequently, in 2010, when the matter was brought to the attention of President Yoweri Museveni, he made a directive that the salaries of the lawyers working with the Police should be enhanced in line with their counterparts working with the Attorney General’s chambers and the ODPP.

The President's directive resulted in a supplement budget requisition of sh179.6m to cater for arrears ensuing from the discriminatory salary payments.

According to court documents from 2010 to 2022, the enhanced wages for lawyers were incorporated into the Uganda Police Force wage bill and all subsequent appointments of legal officers with the Force and their salary scale have been in tender with those of their counterparts in the CDPP.

U-turn

However, in a twist of events, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Public Service on October 17, 2022, wrote to the Inspector General of Police raising allegations of overpayment of Legal officers in the Uganda Police.

Following the communication in March 2023, the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Internal Affairs went into the Police lawyers and rescinded their earlier appointments, which had been issued on July 6, 2022, and had been accepted. This prompted the legal officers to seek legal redress in the courts of law.