KAMPALA, Uganda — The Government of Uganda, through the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, has released a comprehensive salary and grading structure for 2026. The framework aims to standardize compensation for personnel working on externally funded projects and eliminate long-standing wage disparities within project implementation units (PIUs).
Finance Ministry Permanent Secretary, Ramathan Ggoobi, said the initiative seeks to enhance transparency and ensure fairness across all government ministries, departments, and agencies.
To ensure value for money, the ministry has set high entry standards. For Grade 1 roles, candidates must hold a relevant honors bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree from a recognized university.
Most leadership positions in this category require 12 years of professional experience, including at least five years in management. Certification in project management is considered an added advantage.
Under the 2026 framework, remuneration is linked to a four-tier grading system. Each role now has a defined minimum, midpoint, and maximum salary. Grade 1 (Leadership/Technical) includes project coordinators and project managers, with salaries ranging from UGX 24 million to UGX 28 million per month. Grade 2 (Specialist/Middle Management) covers 15 roles, including financial management specialists, senior procurement officers, monitoring and evaluation specialists, and legal officers, with salaries from UGX 12 million to UGX 17.9 million. Grade 3 (Officer Level) covers 12 roles such as accountants, IT officers, and social safeguards officers, earning UGX 4.5 million to UGX 6.48 million. Grade 4 (Support Staff) includes administrative assistants (up to UGX 4.2 million) and drivers (starting at UGX 1.8 million). All staff across every grade are entitled to an annual medical insurance package worth UGX 1.08 million per individual, covering the employee and up to four dependents, with a total annual value of UGX 5.4 million.
Historically, compensation for PIU roles varied widely, often dictated by donor agreements with organizations such as the World Bank or African Development Bank. This led to significant wage gaps, where a manager on one project could earn double the salary of a peer on another initiative. “Projects backed by larger donors or with bigger budgets offered substantially higher compensation packages, creating competition for talent within government institutions,” a ministry source said. The new salary directory seeks to harmonize these differences across high-value initiatives, including the UGX 906.2 billion Northern Uganda Social Action Fund IV and the UGX 654.3 billion Development Response to Displacement Impacts Project.
Ggoobi noted that project coordinators will now be commissioned at the level of commissioners or their equivalents. Accounting officers are urged to ensure that all appointees meet the specific expertise and minimum requirements for their roles. The ministry expects the standardized structure to improve project implementation timelines and align with the National Development Plan and the Tenfold Growth Strategy.
The detailed grading for 33 key PIU positions is as follows:
| Grade | Selected Positions | Minimum Pay (UGX) | Maximum Pay (UGX) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | Project Coordinator, Project Manager | 24,000,000 | 28,000,000 |
| Grade 2 | Specialists: Procurement, FM, M&E, Gender, Legal, GIS | 12,000,000 | 17,900,000 |
| Grade 3 | Officers: Accountant, IT, Livelihood, Communications | 4,500,000 | 6,480,000 |
| Grade 4 | Assistants: Accounts, IT, Admin, Fleet (Driver) | 1,800,000 | 4,200,000 |
The new salary and grading structure represents a major step toward transparency, fairness, and professionalism in the management of externally funded projects in Uganda.
