The Ministry of Public Service in Uganda has removed over 7,500 government employees from its payroll following a comprehensive audit.

However, according to a senior ministry official, some of these individuals will face further scrutiny and potential legal action by the Criminal Investigations Directorate (CID) of the Uganda Police Force (UPF).

The audit, conducted last year by the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), aimed to identify and eliminate ghost workers and unauthorized employees from various government ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), as well as local governments, health centers, educational institutions, statutory authorities, and state-owned corporations.

This move was prompted by the discovery that mismanagement of payrolls in the fiscal year 2022-2023 had cost the government approximately Shs80 billion, with payments amounting to Shs1 billion made to 795 civil servants who had retired, been transferred, absconded, or died.

In April 2023, the Auditor General outlined the objective of the audit: to address issues undermining the credibility and efficiency of the government’s wage, pension, and gratuity management processes and to recommend solutions for these challenges.

Following the audit, the Ministry of Public Service has instructed various MDAs, local governments, and other public institutions to implement specific recommendations from the Auditor General’s report.

Mary Grace Mugasa, the junior minister for public service, emphasized the importance of these institutions fully adhering to the audit recommendations.

“As a result of the special payroll audit and validation exercise, responsible officers have been directed to implement the audit recommendations. However, a number of institutions have not yet fully complied,” Minister Mugasa stated.

The ministry has conducted further validation of officers who were flagged for a second review. Nearly 34,500 government employees have been validated, with ongoing analysis of the findings.

“The exercise concluded with the validation of 34,471 public officers. Following this, 7,586 records were deleted from the March 2024 payroll based on the Auditor General’s recommendation. To date, over 1,500 individuals have been cleared and reinstated on the payroll,” Mugasa reported.

Permanent Secretary Catherine Bitarakwate Musingwiire indicated that those removed due to illegal presence will be referred to the CID for further investigation and possible prosecution.

In related news, the Ugandan government has announced salary increases for police and prison officers, as well as Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) personnel, effective July 2024.