October pay for pensioners on course, says public service

Whereas Mr Tumwine (L) says the process would go on Mr Muhakanizi had earlier announced the payment of pensioners would not be possible until the system is cleaned of ghosts. 

By Dear Jeanne

In Summary

Whereas the Ministry of Finance says it had suspend payment of pensions, Public Service yesterday announced it had finalised the payment of pensioners for October.

Kampala

Despite an earlier announcement by a senior official in the Finance Ministry halting payment of pensions, the ministry of Public Service yesterday said arrangements for October payments are in the final stages.

The Deputy Secretary to the Treasury, Mr Keith Muhakanizi, last week said pensioners would not be paid until the system had been cleaned off ghosts.
However, this newspaper has learnt that no official communication has been made to the effect.

According to the Ministry of Public Service Principal Communications officer, Mr Jonas Tumwine, no communication has been issued to the ministry and the fact remains a media statement. “I have not seen any such communication because there is neither an internal memo nor a notice to that effect. We have done our part, however; the payments are done by Ministry of Finance. Ours is handing over the names for payment,” Mr Tumwine said in a telephone interview.

Sources in the Ministry of Finance who preferred anonymity as they are not the official spokespersons of the ministry also confirmed that no such communication had been issued and thus the processing of payments would go on.

Mr Muhakanizi last week said no payments to pensioners are to be effected until government has finished cleaning up the system that has so far caused the tax payer a loss of more than Shs63 billions paid to Ghost Pensioners of the East Africa Community Beneficiary Association in a period of seven months. “We are halting the payment of pension and gratuity until we have completed cleaning up the payroll. We want to avoid paying more ghosts,” Mr Muhakanizi said last week.

No comment
Attempts to get a comment from the Ministry of Finance on the current position was futile as Mr Muhakanizi was not picking his phone calls and the Ministry’s Spokesperson Mr Jim Mugunga’s known phone number was switched off.

According to the Public Service database 63,228 pensioners were due for payment as of the Month of October, with close to Shs14 billion having been allocated for the pensioners who include, Teacher, traditional Civil Servants and UPDF officials among others.

Provision of pension in the Uganda Public Service is enshrined in the Constitution and regulated by the Pensions Act Cap 286.

The Public Service Pension Scheme (PSPS), which is managed by the Ministry of Public Service (MoPS), caters for retirement benefits of Public Officers employed in Ministries and Departments, generally referred to as the Traditional Public Service, the Teachers, and the Police and Prisons staff as well as the Local Governments.

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