Patrick Ocailap, Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, representing Ramathan Ggoobi, Uganda’s Secretary to the Treasury, has issued a circular to all Accounting Officers across Central and Local Government. The circular addresses issues related to the wage budget.
This action follows the completion of an audit of salary payrolls conducted by the Office of the Auditor General. The aim is to tackle persistent shortfalls in salary payments.
As a result of the audit findings, the wage bill is projected to increase from Shs 7,289,967,353,928 in the current financial year to Shs 7,513,067,960,301 in the next financial year 2024/25. This increase is intended to address the identified shortfalls verified by the Auditor General.
However, reports from the Ministry of Public Service indicate that some Accounting Officers have continued to recruit staff beyond the approved wage bill for the current financial year. This practice has led to further shortfalls in budget allocation.
The Ministry of Public Service has compiled a list of votes implicated in this unauthorized recruitment for appropriate action.
Ocailap emphasized that any Accounting Officer found to have recruited staff beyond their allocated wage budget, as approved by the Ministry of Public Service, will face sanctions in accordance with the law. These sanctions may include revocation of appointment as Accounting Officers.
Furthermore, any funding shortfalls resulting from unauthorized staff recruitment will be addressed by deducting from the vote’s unconditional non-wage budget. This measure aims to mitigate the funding gap caused by unauthorized recruitment practices.
