KAMPALA– Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) has suggested means through which the government of Uganda can address several issues of inequality which were highlighted in the recently released 11th Annual report.
One of the main issues raised in the report was salary disparities, with the annual salary gap between the highest paid Chief Executive Officer (CEO) , Commissioner General of Uganda Revenue Authority (URA) and the lowest paid CEO, Secretary of land commission being 739,55,176 Shillings.
“If we go by that rate, it will take secretary at Uganda Land Commission approximately 27 years to earn the same salary as the Commissioner General. A legal clerk with a diploma in DPP earns Uganda Shillings 3500,000 which is not taxed , while Assistant Commissioner of Legal Affairs with a master’s degree under other legal professions in public service earns Uganda Shillings 2,900,000 which is further subjected to taxes.” Remarked Hon. Sofia Nalule , the Chairperson Equal Opportunities Commission while addressing the press at EOC headquarters in Kampala
She also pointed out that their findings established that , government schools face the same problem especially between the head teachers and science teachers, whereby most school head teachers earn between shillings 2.270,984 to 2350,000 compared to their juniors (science teachers) who earn a higher salary of 4,250,000
“ The decision by government of Uganda to increase the salaries of scientists was a good reason , however it has created more trouble.”
The commission advised that in order to have the salary issue addressed in various sectors of government, the function of salary review should be transferred to the Equal Opportunities Commission as soon as possible.
“The EOC, which is already tasked with promoting equality and addressing inequalities across various sectors, is well-
Positioned to incorporate salary reviews into its mandate. The commission will therefore ensure that all salary structures are fair and equitable for all government employees.”
Secondly, it was also suggested that the Ministry of Public Service should implement an enhancement plan to achieve proposed long pay targets for all government employees.
On the issue of access to University national merit scholarships , the study revealed that schools in Bigenda South, Bigenda North, Ankole and Kampala subregions are the biggest beneficiaries of the National scholarships due to presence and availability of many government and private schools.
“Karamoja , Acholi, West Nile , Lango , Elgin and Teso sub region had the smallest share of students accessing scholarships mainly attributed to lack of infrastructure and other facilities.”
The report suggested that inorder to bridge this gap, there is a need to provide scholarships and financial aid to support students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, ensuring that financial barriers don’t impede access to education.
It’s was also the commission’s findings that Uganda records annually a higher number of cases on Land disputes, domestic violence, Sexual violence, Marriage and divorce and criminal cases.
On accessing to Magisterial services, the report made findings that , justice is costly in this country considering the costs involved like legal representation and court fees which appear to be high to majority of Ugandans, absenteeism , where by some Judicial officers delay justice in many cases which leads to frustration.
Some walk longer distances in order to get access to court especially those in rural areas which makes them to miss out on some of the court sessions for their cases.
It was Nalule’s submission that URA should create a good rapport with the tax payers on top of doing more sensitizations on the reasons why some taxes are collected.
