KAMPALA, UGANDA – A damning report has exposed widespread irregularities in the management of salary payrolls across various Ugandan government ministries and departments.
The Public Accounts Committee on Commissions, Statutory Authorities, and State Enterprises (PAC-COSASE) presented its findings to the House on Thursday, highlighting discrepancies in employee details, lack of approved staff establishment structures, and inconsistent budgeting for wage bills.
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According to the report, an audit conducted by the Auditor General on 13 ministries, departments, and agencies revealed inconsistencies in employee data, including names and personal details, which did not align with records held by the National Identification and Registration Authority.
Medard Sseggona Lubega, the committee’s chairperson, warned that these discrepancies undermine employee credibility and risk retaining staff on payrolls beyond retirement age. He also noted that certain agencies lack approved staff establishment structures, impairing effective human resource planning.
Further irregularities included overpayments totaling 2.029 million Ugandan shillings at the Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation due to incorrect payment scales. Additionally, some agencies consistently over or under-budgeted for employee wage bills, with others overpaying staff compared to allocations.
The Financial Intelligence Authority was found to have overestimated wage costs by 16 billion Ugandan shillings. The report also highlighted that some staff received pay increases after the financial year commenced, with several entities conducting staff validation exercises to update employee lists and reconcile payrolls.
PAC-COSASE emphasized that failure to maintain accurate staff records puts employees at risk of losing benefits upon exiting service. The committee also expressed concern over the tendency to exceed approved wage budgets without proper approvals, violating the Public Finance Management Act of 2015.
Members of Parliament called for urgent action, with Xavier Kyooma expressing concern over warranted funds received by ministries, departments, and agencies. Aisha Kabanda proposed allocating unused funds to purchase heavy-duty equipment for emergency responses.
The House unanimously adopted the report with recommendations, affecting 13 entities, including the Uganda National Roads Authority; Uganda Bureau of Statistics; Uganda Property Holdings Limited; Financial Intelligence Authority; and the Uganda Human Rights Commission.
Other agencies involved in the audit were the National Enterprise Corporation; National Children Authority; Uganda AIDS Commission; Local Government Finance Commission; Uganda Printing and Publishing Corporation; Electricity Regulatory Authority; and Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Limited.
