Uganda is a landlocked country in East Africa with around 31 million inhabitants for Carter. It is called the Pearl of Africa and is bordered by Kenya to the east, South Sudan to the north, the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, Rwanda to the southwest and Tanzania to the south. Ugandan politicians have not been spared the trend for high salaries, earning more fat salaries than any other government employee. These high wages are definitely tied to taxpayers, as part of the government’s revenue comes from taxes. This only increases our curiosity as to whether this is another case of human rights abuses of the kind seen in the past at the hands of Idi Amin Today’s Uganda is very different from old Uganda under Idi Amin.
Strategies to improve income distribution in Uganda is only real on paper and never seems to stand. You rightly said that the Ugandan government pays for its leaders and juggles resources and taxpayers. If you want to know how much Uganda needs to maintain these politicians, scroll down for the latest Ugandan top politician salaries and costs for Uganda:
The Government of Uganda operates with more than 9 ministers, 327 MPs, 278 political officers including 80 resident district commissioners and assistants, 75 presidential advisers and 43 private presidential secretaries and their deputies and many others.
The Pearl of Africa has many administrative units; 45,000 communes, 5500 parishes, 1026 sub-congregations, 151 counties, 18 parishes and 80 districts. All of these structures have 10 senior executives. Therefore, the total number of officials is ten times the number of each administrative unit.
Each presidential adviser and his deputy pocket 908.5 million Ugandan shillings, an amount enormous enough to pay 378 primary school teachers a salary of 200,000 Ugandan shillings a month.
Private Presidential Secretary and his assistant collect shillings 7.5 billion, which could fund 2,077 elementary schools with 800 students each, buy medicines for 890 health centers or hospitals, build 935 classrooms or pay 37,500 elementary school teachers.
MPs earn a total of 57 billion (Schs 103 million for each MP from tax money used for their transport, in addition to Shs 2.6 million for each MP per month), with no mention of other allowances. Also, ministers have all kinds of certificates and in 2006/07 government spending on fuel, oil and ministerial maintenance was up to Ugandan shillings 92 billion. Each congressman received more than $41,000 in 2013 for purchases of personal vehicles and free iPads, estimated to total $370,000.
MP and senior opposition leader Ken Lukyamuzi once told Aljazeera that they earn 15 million shillings as their base salary, which is about $6,100 a month. But that doesn’t include the outrageous allowances and perks MPs receive, according to a report that includes the following
Subsistence allowance – 4.5 million Schs
Constituency allowance – varies, mileage 2000ugx/km – Shs 3.8 million
Extra constituency mileage – Shs2.5m
City runs @ 2000ugx/km – Shs 1 million
Mobilization for ex-Officio members – Shs.5.4m
Medicinally average – 200,000 ugx
Tip – 3.5 million Schs
Note that the amount of allowances paid was based on a 2011 report, which may have increased over the years. A 2014 report also mentioned that elected MPs take home at least Schs 18 million per month for each MP.
However, ex officio members of Government receive a monthly gross salary of Shs 1,550,000 paid by the Department of Public Services, Shs 2 million per quarter as jurisdiction allowance and Shs 100,000 monthly as airtime allowance. They also receive additional allowances for travel abroad and for field work.
Due to the salary differences between commissioners, I cannot say exactly how much the commissioners or their deputies earn. We know they are tall too, although some are taller than the others. These high wages for Uganda’s top politicians undoubtedly put a strain on the country’s few economic resources.