Thursday 16 May 2013

GIVEN UGANDA'S CIRCUMSTANCES, THE PAY RISE IN JUDICIARY DOES NOT REFLECT GOOD DECISION


The officers in Judiciary needed a pay rise, but given Uganda's circumstances, a rise from shs 4.5m to 26m is suspect.  All Government employees, a part from a handful are badly paid!  The Government looks like is bribing judges  so that they can make ruling on cases that are favourable given the corruption of its officers. The time Government decided to refund from the Consolidated Fund what had been stolen from the Office of the Prime Minister was evidence that the thieves are implementing a directive where some parties in Government are beneficiary hence cannot let them die, instead get the tax payer to foot the bill!

William Kituuka Kiwanuka



Museveni endorses pay raise for judge









 Mercy Nalugo
Posted  Thursday, May 16  2013 at  01:00
IN SUMMARY
Monthly pay for the Chief Justice (yet to be appointed) would be increased from the current Shs5.8 million to Shs40 million and the deputy would earn Shs34.9 million up from Shs5.3 million.  
President Museveni has agreed to proposals to give judges a substantial pay raise effective July, a development which at least ends years of agitation for better pay for higher ranking judicial officers.
House Budget Committee chairperson Tim Lwanga yesterday revealed that Mr Museveni had accepted that Shs20 billion must be availed to enhance the judges’ salaries. P.4
Monthly pay for the Chief Justice (yet to be appointed) would be increased from the current Shs5.8 million to Shs40 million and the deputy would earn Shs34.9 million up from Shs5.3 million.
Mr Lwanga was responding to concerns from the Legal committee chairperson, Mr Stephen Tashobya, who observed that money for increasing salaries for judges had not been indicated in next year’s budget estimates.
But Mr Lwanga indicated to the committee that during a recent meeting he held with Mr Museveni, the latter agreed to the increment.
“During our meeting with the budget advisory committee, we insisted that although the ministry of Finance had provided Shs10 billion for the enhancement of salaries for judges, we must get Shs10 billion extra to make it Shs20 billion and this we unanimously agreed,” he said.
“The Judiciary must get Shs20 billion for salary enhancement and President Museveni has also agreed to this position,” he added.
MPs and the Judicial Service Commission have long argued that better pay for judicial officers is expected to translate into higher motivation on the bench and a greater ability of officers to resist the temptation to be bribed.
Judiciary spokesperson Erias Kisawuzi was, however, cautious in responding to news of this development.
“I am not competent enough to comment on something I have not seen until I get an official communication,” he said yesterday.
The proposals
During a recent meeting with the parliamentary Legal Affairs Committee, Minister for Justice Kahinda Otafiire presented proposals for the new salary structure. His figures showed that the Principal Judge, who now earns about Shs5 million, will get Shs32.2 million next July.
Supreme Court Justices, who currently earn Shs4.9 million, will receive Shs29.6 million and judges of the Court of Appeal will be paid Shs28.1 million up from Shs4.7 million.
High Court judges, who earn Shs4.5 million, will get Shs26 million.
Meanwhile, the government is separately seeking an additional Shs24 billion to enable the Judiciary provide for newly appointed judges and attendant costs like clerks, secretaries and their drivers.
Parliament is in the process of vetting the newly appointed judges.
The pay raise for judges, while long-overdue, is likely to resurrect demands for salary reviews across the public sector, but more especially for poorly paid, though overworked, health workers and teachers.
mnalugo@ug.nationmedia.com

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