Written By | Jovita Hasto
Mr Richard Banjo the assistant RDC of Ibanda speaks to the VHTs who had come to report the matter to his office
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Ibanda
More than 50 Village Health Teams (VHTs) from Kikyenkye Sub-county in Ibanda District have raised concerns over delayed payment of allowances promised to them for participating in the distribution of government mosquito nets.
The VHTs marched to the offices of the Resident District Commissioner (RDC) and the District Health Officer in a peaceful demonstration, seeking clarification on why they had not received their allowances three months after the exercise.
The VHTs said each was expected to receive Shs120,000 for participating in the training and distribution exercise conducted in May.
They also said they incurred personal expenses transporting mosquito nets from distribution centres to communities after being assured that they would be reimbursed.
VHTs demand payment
Edridah Tukamushaba said the Shs120,000 was meant to cover allowances for both training and the distribution exercise.
"We were told to train for two days, which was later reduced to one day, but we were promised that we would be paid for all the days of training. Later, we waited for the distribution of government mosquito nets. We were also told to collect data from the people, and all the money we used was our own. We were told that we would be reimbursed," she said.
Tukamushaba said the VHTs were initially asked to submit their names for payment, but were later informed that there had been technical problems with the submitted lists and that they needed to submit them again.
"At the time when we expected the money, they told us that the computers had issues, so we submitted another list and waited. Until now, we have not received any information about our payment," she added.
Allegations of registration fees
During the demonstration, some VHTs also alleged that they were required to pay Shs5,000 to a trainer identified as Michael before being registered for the exercise.
Margret Atuhwere said VHTs and data analysts were required to pay the money before signing a registration sheet.
"We were registered by Michael, and he had a notebook where he asked each one of us to first pay Shs5,000 before signing the sheets he had with him. One would first pay the money and sign in the notebook. That is how those who were to participate were determined," she said.
Patrick Rusigire questioned the authenticity of the registration process.
"We cannot easily tell whether the notebook where we signed before starting this job was genuine. A VHT could not be considered if he or she had not signed in Michael's notebook first," he said.
Rosette Kansiime said she used money meant for her children's school fees to cover transport expenses during the exercise and had not yet recovered it.
"We incurred expenses transporting the mosquito nets. This was at a time when we were preparing to return our children to school, and some of the money we used was meant for school fees. At the moment, I have not yet cleared the dues for my children," she said.
Nabilah Ainembabazi said VHTs had been promised Shs22,000 for each day of training and distribution, but the money had not been paid.
"We were promised this money. However, Michael told us that he knew we had friends who were VHTs and warned us against getting information from them about payment of allowances because they could mislead us," she said.
RDC promises follow-up
The VHTs were received by the Assistant Resident District Commissioner of Ibanda, Richard Banjo, who listened to their concerns.
Banjo contacted an official from the Ministry of Health by phone and was informed that the delay in payment was reportedly caused by technical problems during the submission of the VHTs' names to the accountant.
The VHTs were subsequently told to wait for their payments to be processed before the end of August 2026.
Banjo assured them that the RDC's office would follow up on the matter until they received their payments.
"We are going to make sure that these people get answers to their questions. As they have been informed through the phone call I made to the ministry, they were promised to receive their payment through mobile money before the end of August," he said.
He added that the VHTs should report back if the deadline passes without payment so that the authorities can establish where the problem lies.
"We have told them to communicate if the time given to them elapses without receiving their money, so that we can find out where the challenges could be. But we know this was a government exercise and they shall receive their money," Banjo said.
Health office confirms payment delays
Ibanda District Health Officer Dr Julius Bamwiine confirmed that the VHTs from Kikyenkye and Keihangara sub-counties had not yet received their payments.
"It is true that these people came to our office and showed how the delayed payments have affected them. They are not the only ones, but the issue was that the list of their names had problems during submission and was resubmitted. We are sure that they shall receive their payment," Bamwiine said.
He also condemned allegations that VHTs were asked to pay money for registration and promised to follow up on the matter.
"I condemn the act of demanding money from VHTs for registration. These people work as volunteers in villages and only benefit from such government programmes. Whoever could have participated in collecting money from them shall be brought to account and explain how he came to demand the money," he said.
Efforts to contact Michael, the person accused by the VHTs of collecting the registration fees, were unsuccessful as his telephone contact could not be reached.
