Members of Parliament have demanded an explanation on the selective enhancement of salaries for Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) bosses .
The follows reports that salaries for UPDF top officers were to be doubled effective this financial year 2022/2023. The new salary structure puts the salary of a General at 15 million Shillings, a Lieutenant General at 13 million Shillings, Major General at 12 million Shillings, a Brigadier at 10 million Shillings, a Colonel at eight million, Lieutenant Colonel at five million and Major at 2.5 million.
The reports were also confirmed by the Army Spokesperson Brig. Gen Felix Kulayigye, who acknowledged that the salary enhancement options were proposed to the Ministry of Finance during a High Command meeting held on July 6, 2022.
During plenary on Wednesday, Kassanda North MP Patrick Nsamba Oshabe stated that the timing for the selective increment is complicated because other civil servants are demanding the same.
Similarly, Busia Municipality MP Geoffrey Macho questioned why other security forces like the Uganda Police Forces and the Uganda Prisons Services were not catered for.
State Minister for Defence Jacob Oboth explained to legislators that only top ranking soldiers were considered because their junior officers from the rank of Captain and below got a pay rise in 2018.
The Speaker of Parliament Anita Among observed a need for a salary review commission to look at the salaries of all public servants and ensure that all Ugandans are treated equally.
