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Uganda Prisons will have their salaries enhanced this financial year
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As the new financial year 2024/25 begins, a total of 68,000 police and prison officers will enjoy enhanced salaries, sources have revealed. The plan, which will see all lower-ranking police and prison officers receive a 25% salary increase, will cover at least 13,000 prison officers and 55,000 police officers.
The Ministry of Public Service is developing a new salary structure that will reflect this enhancement for police and prison officers, according to a source in the ministry. However, sources familiar with the development have indicated that the decision to release the new structure has been delayed by the government as they await clearance from the finance ministry.
Traditionally, the government releases the new salary structure every July 1, at the beginning of the financial year. However, 11 days later, the public service ministry has yet to make the document public.
Catherine Bitarakwate, the Public Service Ministry Permanent Secretary, said the new salary structure will be released soon. “The salary structure is coming,” she said.
Police will, starting this financial year, receive an increment on their previous salaries
The beneficiaries of the salary enhancement will include all police and prison officers from salary scale U8 for special police constables up to U5, which includes medium-ranking officers.
According to the plan, special police constables under U8 and their equivalents in the prison service will see their salaries increase from UGX 375,200 to UGX 469,000 per month.
A lower police constable, prison warder, and wardress under the U7 lower salary scale, who have been earning between UGX 466,933 and UGX 483,744, will now earn between UGX 583,666 and UGX 604,680 per month.
The draft structure indicates that lance corporals under the U7 upper salary scale, who have been earning between UGX 487,199 and UGX 497,748, are expected to earn between UGX 608,998 and UGX 622,185.
On the other hand, police and prison officers under the salary scale U6 lower, earning between UGX 501,593 and UGX 532,402, are expected to earn between UGX 626,991 and UGX 665,502.
Their counterparts under the U6 upper scale, who have been earning between UGX 540,587 and UGX 573,331, will now earn between UGX 675,733 and UGX 716,665 per month.
For officers under the U5 lower scale, who have been earning UGX 597,000, the new salary will be UGX 746,250, while those under the U5 upper scale, who have been earning UGX 647,000, will now earn UGX 808,750.
For the last five years, the government has undertaken salary enhancements for public servants in a phased manner. Legal professionals under the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), with the exception of the DPP, have had their salaries enhanced. For instance, the Deputy DPP now earns UGX 20 million, up from UGX 13.8 million. The Principal Assistant DPP earns UGX 13.8 million, up from UGX 8.7 million, while a Senior Assistant DPP earns UGX 12.5 million, up from UGX 8 million.
Under the medical category, all personnel from ambulance and lab attendants in health facilities to the Director General of Health Services (DGHS) have had their salaries enhanced.
The government has also enhanced salaries for aviation staff under the Soroti Flying School, Presidential Crew, as well as pilots under the police force.
In the education sector, a senior education science teacher now earns UGX 4.2 million, up from UGX 1.7 million, while an education officer earns UGX 4 million, up from UGX 1 million. These two are graduates; the difference is that a senior education officer is more experienced and sometimes has additional academic qualifications.
