Auditor General John Muwanga disclosed that Uganda is losing Sh53 billion in payments to workers who are either non-existent, deceased, retired, or have absconded from duty in a recent report handed over to Speaker of Parliament Anita Among. The revelation was part of Muwanga’s comprehensive audit of the salary payroll and validation of government employees across 367 entities during February 2023.
During the special audit, Assistant AG Edward Akol reported that out of over 300,000 employees subjected to validation exercises, 358,753 civil servants presented all necessary documents and were fully verified. However, 25,439 individuals were only partially verified, indicating potential discrepancies in their employment status.
Akol highlighted another concerning aspect, pointing out that 7,744 individuals, initially not on the base payroll, appeared for the validation exercise. After presenting the required documents, they were recommended to be included on the validated payroll.
One significant issue uncovered during the validation process was the payment of 2,067 employees, amounting to 22.4 billion shillings annually, whose documents were found unsatisfactory. Additionally, 6,307 employees received 23.6 billion shillings irregularly, as they were confirmed to be either deceased, absconded, or retired at the time of validation.
Further scrutiny revealed that 1,818 individuals, who were paid 56 million in February, were non-existent, pointing to a serious lapse in the payroll system’s verification mechanisms.
Speaker Anita Among, after receiving the report, pledged to scrutinize it promptly. She assigned the leader of the opposition, Joel Ssenyonyi, the responsibility of tasking relevant committees to address the issues raised in the Auditor General’s findings.
The report sheds light on the urgent need for a comprehensive review and overhaul of the salary payment system to mitigate financial losses and ensure accuracy in government payroll management.
