Written By | Peter Luzinda
Alex Byarugaba presented the proposal while tabling the report of the Presidential Affairs Committee on the 2026/27 Ministerial Policy Statement for the Office of the President
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PARLIAMENT
Government has proposed a significant salary enhancement for Resident District Commissioners (RDCs), Deputy RDCs, and Assistant RDCs in the 2026/27 financial year, a move expected to cost taxpayers more than UGX29 billion annually.
The proposal was presented by Alex Byarugaba while tabling the report of the Presidential Affairs Committee on the 2026/27 Ministerial Policy Statement for the Office of the President.
According to the committee report, the salary of RDCs is proposed to increase from the current UGX2,293,200 to UGX9 million per month. Deputy RDCs would see their salaries rise from UGX1,282,369 to UGX5 million, while Assistant RDCs’ salaries would increase from UGX877,216 to UGX2,695,000.
Byarugaba told Parliament that Uganda currently has 146 RDCs, 170 Deputy RDCs, and 432 Assistant RDCs whose salaries have remained unchanged for nearly two decades.
“The Committee established that, for almost 20 financial years, salaries for RDCs and Deputy RDCs have been stagnant. The Committee is cognisant of factors like inflation that erode purchasing power,” Byarugaba said.
He added that other public servants supervised by RDCs, such as Chief Administrative Officers, had already benefited from substantial salary enhancements.
“The Committee was informed that Cabinet proposed an increment of UGX6,706,800, resulting in a monthly salary of UGX9 million for an RDC. This translates into UGX11.75 billion for the 146 RDCs,” he said.
Byarugaba further explained that the proposed salary increment for Deputy RDCs would amount to UGX3,722,631 per officer, while Assistant RDCs would each receive an additional UGX1,877,784 monthly.
“This results in a monthly salary of UGX5 million for Deputy RDCs and UGX2,695,000 for Assistant RDCs,” he noted.
The committee estimates that the proposed salary enhancement would require an additional UGX29.079 billion in the 2026/27 financial year.
“The Committee recommends that a total of UGX29.079 billion be allocated to the Office of the President to cater for the salary enhancement of the 146 RDCs, 170 Deputy RDCs, and 432 Assistant RDCs,” Byarugaba said.
More Funds Sought for RDC Offices
The Presidential Affairs Committee also recommended an additional UGX2 billion for the construction of offices and accommodation for RDCs across the country.
The committee learned that of the 746 administrative units where RDCs are deployed, 107 officials currently operate from rented premises, while 24 are accommodated by district local governments. Only 15 RDC offices have been constructed by the Office of the President since the programme began in the 2012/13 financial year.
“The Committee observes that rentals are not sustainable, hence the need to construct at least five offices per year to accommodate more RDCs,” Byarugaba said.
He explained that the proposed UGX2 billion would facilitate the construction of four additional RDC offices, increasing the number of offices constructed annually to five beginning in the 2026/27 financial year.
Funding Gap for RDC Facilitation
Meanwhile, the Office of the President has also requested an additional UGX41.70 billion to facilitate RDC operations. However, only UGX36.046 billion has been provided for in the indicative budget for the 2026/27 financial year, leaving a funding gap of UGX5.657 billion.
Members of Parliament urged the Ministry of Finance to provide the additional funds, arguing that inadequate facilitation undermines the implementation of government programmes and service delivery.
“The Committee therefore recommends that UGX5.657 billion be provided for facilitation to RDCs,” the report states.
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