Former councillors in Namutumba District have petitioned the Minister for Local Government, seeking intervention to compel authorities to pay outstanding salaries, allowances and emoluments owed between May and June 2021.
The petition follows a mediation meeting held last Thursday between former councillors and district technical staff led by Chief Administrative Officer Mr Emmanuel Ofwono, which ended in chaos after the district auditor informed them they had been overpaid.
“The district overpaid you and, in the process, some of you defrauded the district. It is the district demanding money from you, not the other way round. Each councillor is required to refund Shs350,000,” the auditor said.
In their June 4 petition, copied to the Regional Inspectorate of Government office in Jinja and other agencies, the former councillors demand an explanation regarding the alleged mismanagement of Shs300 million reportedly released in April to clear their outstanding salaries and allowances.
The councillors contend that although each member was entitled to Shs250,000 per month, they received only Shs175,000 after Pay As You Earn deductions, and want district authorities to account for the shortfall.
‘The purpose of this letter is to request your intervention and enforcement of the advice issued by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, who directed the Chief Administrative Officer to pay the former councillors their outstanding salaries. However, the CAO has declined to implement the directive, saying he will make his own decision on the matter,’ the petition reads in part.
Ms Winnifred Nabirye, the councillor representing workers and a former youth representative in the fourth council, said the decision to seek intervention was taken as a last resort after efforts to resolve the matter at district level failed. ‘Our repeated efforts to secure payment of our arrears and obtain explanations for the shortfalls have fallen on deaf ears,’ she said.
In April this year, councillors in the fourth council declined to pass the 2026/27 district budget, citing failure by the social services committee to pay their salaries and allowances. After the swearing-in of new councillors on May 14, the fifth council convened on May 21 and passed the 2026/27 financial year budget that had been expected to be handled by the outgoing fourth council.
Councillors said several promises had been made in the past, including a recent assurance by Mr Geoffrey Mugoya, the district vice chairperson in the fifth council and former speaker of the fourth council. Ms Mary Mukyala said before Mr Mugoya was sworn in as district vice chairperson, he had informed them that each councillor who served in the fourth council was entitled to Shs1,050,000 in arrears, covering salaries, allowances and emoluments.
‘He was our speaker in the fourth council. While we were preparing the district handover report to the incoming council, he told us our money would be paid before the fifth council resumed business. However, to date we have not been paid,’ she said.
According to Mukyala , the councillors also reached out to the District Speaker of the fifth council, Simon Peter Wakudumira, who previously served as chairperson of the Finance Committee, for assistance, but he denied the allegations, insisting that all councillors from the fourth council had been fully paid their salaries.
‘He, who was our chairperson of the Finance Committee in the fourth council, told us not to pass the budget because we were demanding our salaries. But now that he is the Speaker in the fifth council, he is backing the technical staff who are withholding our money,’ she said.
When contacted, the District Communications Officer, Mr Noah Kiire, declined to comment on the matter and referred the Monitor to the District Speaker.
‘I am not in a position to comment on the matter. You can talk to the District Speaker, Mr Simon Peter Wakudumira,’ he said.
The District Speaker, Simon Peter Wakudumira, had also declined to comment on the matter.